WHEN it comes to food preparation, it is important to respect the food, especially that which involves meat, poultry and seafood. Fish, of all things, comes with a set of skills on the part of the person butchering it. The method of ikejime, a Japanese technique of killing fish, is considered the fastest and most humane. It involves inserting a spike swiftly and directly into the fish’s hind brain, located slightly behind and above the eye, which causes immediate brain death. If this rapid slaughter is done correctly, the fish fins flare and the fish becomes relaxed, immediately ceasing all motion. When this happens, no lactic acid is produced, hence the meat stays fresh without turning sour. A second cut is made at the tail to speed up the bleeding process, followed by immersion in a salt and ice bath at 12°C. “This technique is key to maintain freshness and hygiene. The fish is dead, but the meat is alive,” said chef Tetsuya Yanagida, who is in town to promote his seafood showcase at Genji Japanese Restaurant in Hilton Petaling Jaya until Sept 11 for lunch and dinner.

Yanagida, who is also a consultant for the ikejime fish project with Genji’s sustainable seafood supplier - GST Fine Foods Sdn Bhd, has carefully crafted the menu, which has exquisite seafood dishes from RM50 nett. “The produce are supplied daily for this promotion as only authentic and specific produce will result in flavourful seafood dishes,” said Yanagida. GST Group assistant business development manager Victor Chiah said they bred fish such as grouper and snapper and used the ikejime method to maintain freshness.jogo sushi magico para android “For sashimi-grade fish, the shelf life is three to four days, while for regular fish, it is seven days in the chiller,” said Chiah.jiro dreams of sushi alive But Yanagida is instrumental in promoting locally sourced fish and not only imported salmon.yo sushi dubai marina

“You have good sashimi-grade fish in Malaysia and I want to show tourists exactly that,” he said. Being a passionate cook from a young age, one of Yanagida’s accolades include the Japan Prime Minister Award for Japanese Cuisine Chefs and Occupational Certification and the honour of being a licensed fugu handler, who is certified to prepare and sell the poisonous fish.jiro dreams of sushi release date australia His seafood menu features a selection of impeccably prepared dishes including appetisers, chawanmushi, Seafood Mushini Hot Pot, rice, Ikejime Fish Head Miso Soup and dessert, priced at RM168 nett.where can i buy sushi grade salmon in denver We sampled some delicious dishes from the promotion menu, namely Prime Ikejime Fish Roll with Spring Onion and Coriander, Deep-fried Ikejime Grouper with Ginger flavoured Tabasco Nazu, assorted sashimi – ikejime grouper and red snapper, Seafood Mushini Hot Pot – ikejime grouper, red snapper, abalone, scallops, mussels and mushrooms, ikejime red snapper, abalone, scallops and mussels teppanyaki, and for dessert – Genji signature green tea ice-cream.sushi 88 delivery ottawa

The fish roll with coriander leaves, neatly tucked away within the sushi rice, was a pleasant surprise at the start of the meal. Sushi purists in Japan would probably frown at this deviated concoction, but we were happy campers. The coriander has subtle citrus flavours and coupled with the grassy spring onion provided a fresh burst of texture and balance to the fish. The sashimi platter needs no explanation, other than the fact that it was the first time that I tasted grouper or snapper sashimi-style.sushi braunschweig online Two words are enough – fresh and juicy, thanks to the ikejime method. The seafood hot pot was a like a warm hug on a cold day, and turned out to be a soothing Umami flavoured soup. If you love anything deep-fried, the grouper is a must-have and who does not love teppanyaki? Both dishes were tasty and flavourful. To cool down from all that savoury goodness, the green tea ice-cream should do the trick.

GENJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT, Hilton Petaling Jaya, 2, Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (Tel : 03-7955 9122 ext 4071/72) Business hours: Noon to 10.30pm, daily. This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.Story highlightsOn Wednesday night, U.S. President Obama dined at what many consider the world's best sushi restaurantChef Jiro Ono is the first sushi chef in the world to receive three Michelin starsThe 19-piece "Chef's Recommended Special Course" costs 30,000 yen (about $292)Anyone who imagines U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed territorial disputes with China or the U.S.'s "pivot to Asia" foreign policy during their private dinner in Tokyo on Wednesday likely isn't familiar with the restaurant where the two leaders dined. Ahead of a protocol-bound formal state visit that officially begins on Thursday, Abe took Obama to Sukiyabashi Jiro, the fabled restaurant in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza district widely regarded as the best sushi restaurant in the world.

The Japanese food provided by head chef and proprietor Jiro Ono leaves little time for small talk, much less big talk. MORE: The rival empires of Japanese WhiskeyRather than simply watch the spectacular food porn that is Gelb's doc, I went a step further, traveling directly to the source to offer the following account of chef Jiro's legendary soft-handed, two-fingered technique that pairs fresh nigiri cuts from the Tsukiji fish market with warm and delicate rice.MORE: Celebrating Tokyo as 'world's greatest city'With a bit of hesitation, I forgo chopsticks, soy sauce and wasabi altogether for the traditional fingers-only approach and prepare to enjoy that first taste of perfection.MORE: Tasting Tokyo's treasures MORE: Tokyo and the world's 11 other greatest shopping citiesMORE: How to eat sushiMORE: Tokyo travel: 11 things to know before you goMORE: 5 Tokyo bars for train nerds (yes, they exist)MORE: Why Japanese bartenders are the world's bestBill's Lobster has been in business for over 10 years at Gerrard and Broadview in the heart of East Chinatown.

The north-facing fish shop is simply laid out, with tanks of lobsters in front, a fish counter in the centre and some more exotic fare at the back. Beyond fresh fish and seafood on ice, Bill also sells imported goods like soba noodles, miso powder, dried seaweed and a selection of frozen goods including King Crab legs and pre-cooked shrimp. tilapia masquerading as white tuna , and Atlantic halibut ( ) being sold under the label of B.C. halibut, it's no wonder that consumers are having a hard time knowing how and where to buy their fish. And contrary to what you might think, it isn't just big grocery chains that are guilty of mislabeling and misidentifying goods; restaurants and small producers are doing it too. Upon meeting him, what I admire most about Bill is his passion and knowledge of the industry. He always has the findings of a report to share and has direct relationships with the fishermen that supply his store. Using regular salmon as an example, Bill quizzes me on what I think I should be looking for when picking a piece out.

My first answer is correct -- smell is far and away the best way to tell if your fish is fresh. Fresh fish should not smell fishy. But my second answer -- colour -- isn't quite so accurate. Bill reveals that farm-raised salmon, commonly found at grocery stores, is fed varying types of meal that enhance their colour. To my horror, he produces a colour palette not unlike one found at a paint store, which is distributed by a company that sells fish meal. Fish farmers can select the colour they want their salmon to be, ranging from a pale rose to an orange that's unnaturally psychedelic. Bill advises that consumers ought to spend the extra money on purchasing wild or organic salmon. He sells organic salmon from Ireland or Scotland at $19/pound and wild Pacific salmon at $17/pound. At the start of the salmon season in May, he'll also carry wild spring salmon from British Columbia. Come lobster season in early May, Bill's lobster sells at $6/pound. Currently in the off-shore fishing season, they sell at $10/pound.

Bill sources directly from Nova Scotia and tells me that he gets the lobster directly from the fishermen, eliminating the need for wholesalers. I ask to see the biggest lobster in the tank, and he brings out a 16 pound sucker that gives him a hard time coming out of the tank. He notes that the turnaround time for lobster in his store is no more than two to three days. Continuing on down the narrow room, Bill pauses at the tray of scallops on ice and teaches me another industry trick. Treated scallops (referred to as "wet" scallops), typically found at supermarkets or in frozen form, are soaked in preservatives, meaning that the meat absorbs more fluid, which makes them larger and thus more expensive per pound. When cooked, the excess water evaporates, leaving a shrunken, dry and often tasteless scallop. On the other hand, wild scallops are considered "dry" -- meaning they are not treated with any chemicals and are harvested directly from the ocean and often frozen immediately to preserve their freshness.

Bill sources his jumbo scallops from Digby, Nova Scotia. They sell at $17/pound (where about eight pieces constitute a pound). Jumbo tiger shrimp from Florida sell at $14/pound, while choice-grade oysters from P.E.I. sell at $1.50 a piece. I glance over at my date who is occupied with taking a picture of a lobster with his iPhone and silently consider the aphrodisiac properties of oysters. I carefully consider buying two to slurp right then and there, but decide that taking him to a fishmonger on a Saturday afternoon is probably sexy enough... Bill's last lesson is about sushi-grade fish, which he advises is a dangerous game if not played correctly. Fish sold to be eaten raw must be stored, frozen, defrosted and prepared very carefully. Bill sells sushi-grade tuna and salmon and says that he gives his customers careful instructions when they purchase these products. Depending on the season, he will also carry a variety of fish including Atlantic Halibut, Alaskan Black Cod, Arctic Char, Greenland Halibut, Wild Pacific Snapper, and some more exotic varieties including Branzino from Spain and Turbot from France.