To be blunt: No. In the United States there is no official criteria or system to define what type of seafood is sushi grade. Like many terms used in the seafood industry, sushi grade, sashimi grade, and similar sounding titles have more to do with marketing. Fishmongers long ago realized the public will accept previously neglected fish if they simply give it a new name. The most famous example being Chilean sea bass, which sounds way more tasty than Patagonian toothfish. When it comes to fish being marketed as sushi grade it is the same thing: fresh yellowfin tuna sounds good, but sashimi grade ahi sounds better. When a company markets a product as sushi grade fish, what they are really saying is “this is the best that we have.” However, that is not the same as “this is the best you can get.” But a consumer can be forgiven for thinking that, since there is no quality standard for sushi grade fish and shellfish. The standards for sushi fish, come strictly from a human health standpoint.

What fish can be used in sushi does not factor in quality or taste, it only matters if it can get you sick. I’ve picked enough worms out of fish fillets in “candling rooms” to know about fish parasites. Some of these are harmless to humans but many others, like those that infest salmon can mess you up. Although not all sushi contains raw fish, any fish that will be eaten raw must first be frozen and stored for at least a week at -4F. This FDA guideline is to ensure that these fish parasites and their eggs are killed off. Of course, these safety standards go right out the window, regardless of fish quality, if it is cross-contaminated with fish not prepared for sushi. Using the same cutting boards and knives, not changing food-prep gloves, even storing sushi and non-sushi fish together can all lead to contamination and sickness. I for one, love sushi but I will leave it up to the pros, that is unless one of my buddies brings in a bluefin. I once treated a Japanese friend with raw bluefin that was caught only hours before.

But my favorites are usually cooked or cured.My favorite is unagi, which is grilled eel. Unagi can only be served cooked because eel blood is toxic to humans. And even after talking about salmon parasites I love salmon nigiri, but I only get smoked salmon.where to buy candy sushi kitB swears you can make sashimi out of Costco salmon. sushi soy paper gluten freeI was mildly (ok, very) skeptical, but I told him if he prepared it, I would eat it. buy sushi radio clothingLove is trust, right?sushi tei jakarta blog I was sure if he ran a restaurant, he'd be cited for health violations by not using sushi grade fish for sashimi, but after a Google search, it seems that no one - not the FDA, not local health inspectors, not any governing body - knows what sushi grade means! sushi bento box lunch

Yep, there's no regulations, as long the fish has been frozen for a period of time to kill parasites. I suppose it's comforting that even when self-regulated, at least seafood vendors care about whether we get tapeworms.jiro dreams of sushi cost to eat Basically, "sashimi" is just a sexy marketing term to mean any fish that can be eaten raw. jiro dreams of sushi full filmOf course, the fresher the fish, the better the taste and texture, so these fish should be killed and iced ASAP. Here's more info from Sushifaq, Cooking Stack Exchange, and Beyond Salmon. After more Googling (yeah yeah, so I trust online strangers' opinions more than my own boyfriend's) using Costco fish for sashimi is not uncommon. From personal experience, their salmon quality is actually quite decent. B is very picky about the package date being the same day to ensure absolute freshness, so he only trusts Costco (Ok, I know this is the second post in two weeks waxing eloquently about Costco, but my boy is in love with that place), and does not recommend getting the salmon from any random Chinatown market.

Update to some FAQs in the comments: The salmon is fresh (not frozen), and the day you buy the salmon should be the day you make this recipe - don't let it sit in your fridge for days!Let's just say I was pretty darn impressed. The salmon is so buttery and had the perfect texture. N: I want you to make this salmon sashimi for my family when you visit us! B: Oh you know how to make sashimi now, so you can do it for them. N: Well, I'm afraid I'll poison them, so I'll let you make it! B: Great, so if anything goes wrong, I'm the fall guy, eh? B has made this recipe many times for family and friends and to date, no one has ever gotten sick. However, please use your own discretion when making this recipe as you are still eating raw fish (ie please don't try this if you're immunosuppressed or pregnant!). Otherwise, enjoy some amazing sashimi! fresh salmon filet (check the packing date - the day you buy = packing date = day making the recipe) rice vinegar, diluted in water (optional)

1 sushi cup rice, recipe below Rinse and rub a generous amount of salt onto your salmon (both sides). Let sit in fridge for 2 hours. Afterwards, take out salmon from fridge and rinse with water. Submerge your salmon in diluted vinegar (preferably rice vinegar but white works as well). You use pure vinegar or dilute the vinegar up to 1:10 (ie 1/2 cup vinegar and 4 1/2 cups water) if you want a less vinegar taste.Let sit in fridge for 1 hour. Remove from fridge and rinse thoroughly.Wrap salmon in saran wrap and put it in the freezer over night The day you want to eat it, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge. This should take 6-8 hours; do not try speed it up by leaving it outside. Cut the sashimi with a sharp knife in a slicing motion. Mold rice with your hands, dab with wasabi, and cover with your sashimi. The Gentleman's Sushi Rice This serving size here is for 1 person. The lady and I do not like too much rice in our nigiri. 1/2 cup sushi rice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar Rinse the rice only 3-5 times (water does NOT have to run clear) and drain in a strainer. While rice is draining, combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mirin together in a bowl and mix well. Add rice to the pot. Bring quickly to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and DON'T touch it until the end, NO PEEKING. Put something heavy on the lid like another pot. The more pressure the rice is cooked under, the better it tastes. Cook for 15 minutes before removing the pot from the heat but keep the lid CLOSED. Let rice rest for 10 min and then remove the cover. Place in a glass dish to cool and lightly fan the rice while adding the vinegar mixture. Mix rice gently, being careful not to break it. Doc Uy's notes: As a caveat, Costco does not claim to sell sushi grade fish, but if you freeze it per FDA guidelines (pg 69), you should be ok from parasites. As a doctor in training, I must also recommend taking FDA precautions if you're pregnant, old, sick, etc!