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:where to buy japanese ginger dressing 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 king buy 1 free 1 Ask whether they fillet the fish you’re looking to buy themselves, or if they’re getting them pre-filleted.sushi order online nyc

If you are buying salmon, ask if they can produce logs that show the times and temperatures that the fish was frozen. 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!best sushi rolls in nycFor 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. Marc’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. Sushi plate (盛り合わせ) with sashimi to the left There are many sushi and sashimi ingredients, some traditional and some contemporary. Packaged nigirizushi for sale at a Tokyo supermarket

California Roll is a contemporary style maki-zushi (roll) containing cucumber, cooked crab meat or an imitation, and avocado that is made inside-out (Uramaki) with rice on the outside and an outer layer of tobiko or sesame seeds, shown here with a similar maki-zushi with raw tuna, which is darker Tamagoyaki, also referred to as tamago All seafoods in this list are served raw unless otherwise specified. The list below does not follow biological classification. Engawa (meat close to the fin of a flounder) nigirizushi Various cuts of tuna including akami, otoro and chutoro prepared as sashimi Roe is a mass of fish eggs: ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb

cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av ^ a b c d e ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w xShareShare “Avocado and Crab-Meat Sushi” on FacebookShare “Avocado and Crab-Meat Sushi” on TwitterShare “Avocado and Crab-Meat Sushi” on PinterestShare “Avocado and Crab-Meat Sushi” on Google+Email “Avocado and Crab-Meat Sushi” YieldMakes about 24 to 30 piecesIngredientsFor the rice1 cup white short-grain rice*2 tablespoons rice vinegar (available at Oriental markets, specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets)1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon dry Sherry1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 avocado (preferably California)fresh lemon juice for rubbing the avocadothree 8- by 7-inch pieces of toasted nori (dried laver)*1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut lengthwise into 8- by 1/4-inch strips

, discarding the seedsabout 1/4 pound fresh King crab meat, thawed if frozen, picked over, and drainedwasabi (Japanese horseradish) paste* to taste for the sushi plus additional as an accompaniment if desiredsoy sauce as an accompanimentpickled ginger* as an accompaniment if desired*available at Oriental markets and some specialty foods shopsPreparationMake the rice: In a large fine sieve rinse the rice under running cold water until the water runs clear with no milky residue and drain it well. In a large heavy saucepan combine the rice with 1 1/4 cups water, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the rice, covered tightly, for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove the pan from the heat, let the rice stand, covered tightly, for 10 minutes, and transfer it to a jelly-roll pan, spreading it in an even layer. Keep the rice warm, covered. In a saucepan whisk together the vinegar, the sugar, the Sherry, and the salt, simmer the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, and let it cool.

Sprinkle the rice with as much of the vinegar mixture as necessary to moisten it lightly, tossing it carefully, and cover it with a dampened cloth. (Do not chill the rice.) The rice may be made 3 hours in advance and kept, covered with the dampened cloth, at room temperature. Peel and pit the avocado, rubbing it with the lemon juice, and cut it into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Heat the nori in a preheated 350°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until it is softened slightly, and keep it warm. Working with one sheet of nori at a time and with a long side facing you, spread about 3/4 cup of the rice in an even layer on each sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the long sides. Arrange some of the avocado strips horizontally across the middle of the rice and arrange some of the cucumber strips and the crab meat on top of the avocado. Dab the crab meat with the wasabi and beginning with a long side roll up the nori tightly jelly-roll fashion. Cut each roll with a sharp knife into 3/4-inch-thick slices and serve the rolls with the soy sauce, the additional wasabi, and the ginger.