With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I know some of you are planning a homemade sushi dinner. Whether this is your first time or you’re a seasoned pro, making sushi at home can be simple, fun, and rewarding. I’ve written before on how to make sushi rolls and Adrianna recently did a post on temaki, but the question I get asked the most is some version of “how do I know if the fish at my store is safe to eat raw?”. The term “sushi-grade” is often tossed around to imply some level of freshness, but in the US, there’s no regulation around the use of the phrase, so it can be used to describe anything. That said, most stores aren’t in the business of getting their customers sick, so they usually reserve the label for their freshest fish. Unfortunately, just because it’s fresh doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat raw. Some fish, such as salmon, contain parasites that will make you sick unless they’ve been destroyed. Another potential problem is cross-contamination.

This happens when “sushi-grade” fish gets cut on the same cutting board or using the same knife or handled with the same gloves as non-sushi-grade fish. If your fishmonger is storing unwrapped sushi-grade fish in the same refrigerated case as non-sushi-grade fish, this should be a big red flag. For fish that contain parasites, the FDA provides guidance under their Parasite Destruction Guarantee. This states in part that fish intended to be consumed raw must be “frozen and stored at a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) or below for a minimum of 168 hours (7 days)”. Cross contamination is a bigger issue. Because most stores don’t sell a high enough volume of fish intended to be eaten raw, they don’t maintain a separate space for handling their “sushi-grade” fish. What’s worse, because tuna is such a large fish, most stores don’t deal with whole tuna, they buy them pre-filleted, which means you have to take into consideration not only the stores handling of the fish, but their supplier’s handling of the fish as well.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is how much you trust your fishmonger to understand the best practices for handling fish meant to be consumed raw, and how much they trust their suppliers to hold the same standards. Here are a few things to remember when buying fish to ensure you have a safe and delicious sushi-dinner: Observe and see for yourself whether they’re cutting their sushi-grade fish on the same cutting board as their other fish, without changing gloves or disinfecting their knife and board first.sushi tei menu bali Ask whether they fillet the fish you’re looking to buy themselves, or if they’re getting them pre-filleted.can you cook sushi leftovers If you are buying salmon, ask if they can produce logs that show the times and temperatures that the fish was frozen.where can i buy seaweed for sushi

If you can’t find a local place you can trust with raw fish, why not try filling your sushi with vegetables, cooked fish, or even meat. California Rolls and Caterpillar Rolls may not be traditional, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious!For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. buy japanese rice cooker ukMarc’s been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.One of the most frightening aspects of making sushi at home is the thought of choosing fresh fish.  What should it look like?  Where do you buy it?  Does the ‘sushi grade’ label even mean anything?  Good quality fish can make the difference between excellent and stomach-churning homemade sushi, so to figure out if what you’re buying is fresh there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Buy from a quality fish monger Firstly, you should look to your local marketers and find a trusted fish monger.  While there will usually be a wide selection of fish fillets available at any given grocery store, the trick is knowing just how old the fish is and how it should be used in cooking.  When you find a fish monger, you’ll discover that you can learn a lot more from him about the fish you are buying than you can in any large store.  A quality fish monger will be able to tell you where the fish came from, what it tastes like and whether or not it can truly be called ‘sushi grade’; the fact is that there are no governmental requirements on the ‘sushi-grade’ label and markets can use it as they please. Don’t be afraid to have a chat with your fish monger!  If you let him know that you are making sushi, chances are he’ll not only be able to give you the freshest fish available but offer up some advice as to which kinds you might like to try.  Aside from the regular tuna and salmon choices you might have in mind, there might be a few local fish types that could offer a new spin on your sushi pieces.

How should the fish look, feel and smell? If you talk to your fish monger, he will be able to tell you what exactly you should be looking for in a sushi-grade fish, but some basic guidelines concerning the aesthetics of fresh fish need to be paid attention to when you strike out on your own.  First of all, unlike what many people believe, there is no raw fish anywhere that should smell ‘fishy’.  Fish will only smell bad if it is old; steer right clear of bad smells and any stores that don’t smell clean! In terms of the look and feel of fresh fish, search for whole fish that have a moist and slippery skin; the older the fish the drier it will become.  Because of this, you also want to make sure that the fish has bright and clear eyes.  If a fish has been sitting in a display refrigerator for longer than it should for sushi-grade, it will simply start to look dead: live fish have bright eyes, shiny scales, bright red gills and a firm and resilient flesh.  When buying ready—cut fillets, you still need to look for an even coloring and firm and moist flesh.