What Is Sushi Grade Fish? (Image credit: Alice Choi) Buying fish you'll be eating raw can be a little nerve-wracking, especially if you've never done it before. It's expensive and you want to make sure it's safe to consume, so here's a guide on what to look for and what questions you should be asking. What is sushi grade fish? Although stores use the label "sushi grade fish," there are no official standards for using this label. The only regulation is that parasitic fish, such as salmon, should be frozen to kill any parasites before being consumed raw. The best practice for this is flash freezing on the boat immediately after the fish is caught, which preserves freshness and texture. The label sushi grade means that it is the highest quality fish the store is offering, and the one they feel confident can be eaten raw. Tuna, for example, is inspected and then graded by the wholesalers. The best ones are assigned Grade 1, which is usually what will be sold as sushi grade.

DIY Spicy Tuna Sushi (Image credit: Kathryn Hill) How to Buy Sushi Grade Fish Although something may be labeled sushi grade, here are a couple of things to know and questions to ask before purchasing: Go to the right place. As is always the case with fish, go to a reputable fishmonger or market. Look for one that sells through fish quickly, gets in regular shipments, and has knowledgeable staff.Being a responsible consumer helps contribute to healthy oceans, so make sustainable choices. This Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guide is a great reference, and you can also download their smartphone apps to always have up-to-date, regional information when you're at the store. Ask the right questions. Don't be afraid to ask the staff where the fish came from, how it was handled, and how long it's been there. If the fish was processed at the store, ask if the equipment is sanitized to prevent cross-contamination from non-sushi grade fish."Touch and smell - the fish should only smell like the ocean, and the flesh should not be soft or flaky," says Skylar Roubison of Monterey Fish Market.

Since it's being served raw, look for vibrant color for the most eye appeal. If you have any doubt of the fish's quality, take a pass. Once you get the fish home, use it as soon as possible since it's highly perishable. ragnarok online how to get sushiThen savor every bite of your sushi grade fish, whether you use it in sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or crudo!sushi to go carrascoPlanning a trip to San Francisco?best place to buy sushi grade fish in los angelesFind great things to doYum Yum Fish Log in to leave a tip here.sushi delivery dubai al nahda

Sort: Tiffany TaylorTom McGhanBobRBC OneLong Duk DongNick BCherylynn NoronaKaren T.SvetlanaKliment VerbaBen RussoJohn NguyenCarrie HigginsLora ShmoraSherry LiEric PanScott T.Manel de la Rosa SilesZOEBOEEvanKelly WongCatarina LaiKelly 🍰Eric Asun sushi menu northridgeWe eat sashimi at home all the time. baby sushi costume tutorialI discovered in talking to some friends that this is unusual, even among sashimi fans. sushi swipe game onlinePeople pay a fortune for a few slices of fish in a restaurant or sushi shop when you can spend about $25 for more fish than two people can eat. Sashimi with a bowl of rice is one of the easiest and most delicious meals you can make. Here's a quick pictorial explanation. Here's the fish we bought: $34.82 worth.

It's too much for two people for one dinner; we got two meals out of this. We probably should have left one of these at the store, but I knew I was going to take these photos and my wife said, what the hell, consider what we spend when we go out to dinner. We bought all of this fish at Nijiya Market in San Francisco. It's much easier to make a sashimi dinner when you have a local Japanese market, because as you can see, the fish is already scaled and trimmed, ready for the finishing touch. If you don't have access to such a market, ask your best local fish monger if they'll do that for you. If they won't, click here. Hirame is expensive: $40 a pound! But this was delicious, and it's not a huge piece. I will pay much more for fresh fish than previously frozen. Hirame is very delicate; don't overdo the soy sauce. When it's good, albacore -- the type of tuna that you usually eat from a can -- is one of my favorites. And not only that, it's cheaper than the more popular red-flesh tuna.

This was outstanding, the best of all the fish in this meal. Tuna is the mainstay of most sashimi plates. It's pretty, has a firm texture, and you can smother it with other flavorings and it holds up well. I like toro (fatty tuna) but even at the supermarket it's really expensive, and this day they didn't have it fresh. Lesson #1: You have to buy what they have that looks good, not what you want. Here I broke rule #1. I love aji, and it's the only hikari-mono (shiny fish) Nijiya had on this day. But look at the edges of the fish at the top left: it's dry, not moist and beautiful like the other fish we bought. I knew better, but it was only $3.77 so we bought it anyway. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a great representation of aji. Rule #2: Suspect any sashimi on sale. I broke this rule here; that's an "on sale" sticker in the upper left, and look how cheap it is. Because katsuo is always slightly roasted to kill parasites that live in the skin, I thought it might not matter that it was previously frozen, and who knows, maybe they just got a huge shipment of katsuo and needed to move it.

This katsuo was relatively flavorless; we ended up marinating it in garlic ponzu, which will make practically any animal flesh taste good. Next: slice it all up. You need a very sharp knife for sashimi. We use a Shun, and we don't use it for anything else so that the edge stays sharp. Assuming you're not ready to go out and buy a new knife, use the sharpest one you have. Note how she holds the fish with her left hand, with her fingers against the knife. This is what our $34.82 worth of fish became: more sashimi than we can eat. The plastic container on the bottom right holds the fish we're saving for tomorrow -- although we didn't finish all of the sliced fish. Wrap any uneaten sashimi in plastic and refrigerate it. Sushi places do this; fish won't go bad overnight. But we either eat it all the next day, or freeze or cook it two days later.Good soy sauce, of course. We store it in the refrigerator. If you don't remember when you bought the open bottle in your closet, buy a new one.

Ponzu has a stronger flavor and is a classic with katsuo tataki, but overwhelming for hirame or albacore. We also have tubes of wasabi (fresh is much better but not always available), ginger and garlic. My wife served the aji with a little ginger on top and the katsuo with garlic. Eat the garlic after everything else, and especially after the delicate white fish. I've never understood why people start a sushi meal with spicy tuna roll, but to each his own. Unshown is the rice we will have with this meal. Nothing special there: just rice. We prefer white rice to brown with sashimi because we don't want anything to overpower the fish. You can drink white wine with sashimi -- unoaked, crisp and clean is best. There's a reason so many US sushi bars have Oregon Pinot Gris as a wine choice. But we prefer sake. With some delicate fish we like a light but flavorful sake; in my ice bucket is a Masumi Nanago Junmai Daiginjo. We drink it out of white wine glasses so we can appreciate the aroma.