Tuna Pastel Drawing by Chef Kaz Matsune (Originally posted on Quora.com) Let's start looking at the whole fish - Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Bluefin What's marked in green is suitable for Sashimi. Tuna uses its tail to swim, so the tail meat is the leanest, containing the least amount of fat, therefore tastes less flavorful compared to the belly. Here is a top view and some side views of Yellowfin tuna. You see white tendon left side of this loin (just outside of the green line,)

Mako Garei, pastel drawing by chef kaz matsune (originally posted on Quora.com) On top of the price, quality, and family-friendly environment (including less interaction with sushi chefs), many Kaizen•Zushi chains now offer a variety of non-sushi dishes which seem to attract more and wider range of people from the young to the old. Sushi•Ro's website says that they offer over 80 dishes now. Plus their drink menu is as good as any family restaurant and dessert menu is packed w

( Kuruma Ebi, pastel drawing by Kaz Matsune) (original post from quora.com) We do use Swordfish for my sushi - both Nigiri and Sashimi. Belly part is especially tasty and is a good substitute for Toro. The one I use is caught sustainable way in San Francisco (local for me). The reason why it's not so popular is unknown. In Japan, they prefer regular Tuna/Maguro, so not so much demand (as sushi item) for Swordfish. (It's normally cooked). The reason there is no shark Nigiri o

Saba - Pastel drawing by Chef Kaz Matsune (Originally posted on Quora.com) Despite its current popularity, Maguro/Tuna was not widely consumed in Japan until the Edo period (1603-1868). The reasons were: 1. Unlucky to Eat Tuna used to be called "Shibi" in Japanese. It had the same pronunciation as "day of the dead" and was considered unlucky to eat. 2. Japanese Preferred a Different Fish Japanese preferred Tai/Read snapper over tuna because the word "Tai" rhymed with "celebra

Fugu, Pastel drawing by Chef Kaz Matsune (originally posted on Quora.com) Contrary to popular myth in The US (and perhaps other countries as well), no one dies from eating Fugu. Eating Fugu does not automatically mean death sentence like Homer Simpson experienced in the famous Simpson’s Fugu episode. I feel that the Fugu myth in the US is very similar to one of the sharks - every shark in the ocean will attack and eat any human being it sees - the myth, thanks to the movies a

Salmon, Pastel drawing by Kaz Matsune (Article originally posted on Quora.com) If you ever wondered which part of a fish is used for Sashimi and Nigiri, here is an answer. Please look at the pictures below. If you look at the whole salmon, the inside of the green line is suitable for Sashimi. The tail part (right part, outside of the green line) is too lean for Sashimi, as it gets the most exercise. Therefore, normally, it's used for rolls. (This picture is Ocean Trout, not S

Nodoguro, Pasel Drawing by Chef Kaz Matsune (Originally posted on Quora.com) Yes, it is true. One of my favorite ways to eat sashimi is, however, not just salt only, but salt and lemon. The key point being the fish must be exceptionally fresh and high grade. For the major part of 2015, I've been serving scallops from Viking Village, NJ, sashimi to some of my private clients with Himalayan salt and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. No soy sauce and I think it's the best way to enjoy

(originally posted on quora.com) Question: What food is Tokyo traditionally famous for? "I am aware that most of the regional menu throughout Japan would be available in the capital of Japan. However, do they actually have any dishes that would be considered something that the city is famous for - say before they actually became the metropolitan capital we know today? See the complete answer here. #JapaneseFood #Quora

Wasabi Pastel drawing by Chef Kaz Matsune (Originally posted on Quora.com) Eating Fish Sashimi It's likely that many people are used to putting wasabi into soy sauce, making wasabi soy sauce first, then dipping a slice of fish in. However, putting wasabi in soy sauce takes away the nice aroma of wasabi because the chemical responsible for wasabi aroma is dissolved into soy sauce. A good way to enjoy wasabi with sashimi is to put wasabi on top of fish, and dip the fish ligh

The so-called Sashimi knife is what's referred to as Yanagiba (willow blade), because of its long thin shape. Yanagiba is designed solely to cut fish, specifically to slice to make sashimi. For this reason, the blade is sharpened only on one side, "Single Bevel", leaving the other side flat so that the edge of the sashimi piece will have a straight edge, which the Japanese considered to be more appetizing. The reason for a long length is to slice the fish with one stroke. Y

Have you ever wondered how many types of sushi are there, besides Roll, Nigiri, and Chirashi? I never counted myself, and this was a good opportunity for me to do some research and find out. Here is the answer posted on Quora. #Sushi #Quora

(Originally posted on Quora) Yes and no. I worked for sushi restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco. All the fish suppliers in both cities are closed on Sundays, which means that if the restaurant is open on Sundays, the fish they serve is at least a day old. There are many fish suppliers who are open and deliver fish on Mondays including IMP, True World, Nishimoto, JFC, and ABS Seafood. (Along with Aloha Seafood and Monterey Fish Market in San Francisco.) Now, the qu

(Originally posted on Quora.) Simply put, it is because the depth of mastery has no end. As simple as the techniques of sushi is, one can go as deep as he wants to master the art. This, I think, goes with any form of art, not just sushi, and it is a common belief among most Japanese: Never-ending improvement in search for perfection. After being a sushi chef for fifteen years, I feel that I just started to understand how to make sushi rice when I mix rice with sushi vinegar

(Originally posted on Quora, published on Huffington Post) What's the correct way to eat sushi?: originally appeared on Quora: The best answer to any question. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge. Answer by Kaz Matsune, Food Director/Executive Sushi Chef of Breakthrough Sushi. It appears that there are many people out there who are wondering what the "proper" way to eat sushi is. I suppose I was fortunate to learn sushi etiquett

Someone asked me this question, and so, I wrote my experience, starting at a Sushi Restaurant in Los Angeles back in 2000, with no professional culinary and Sushi experience. It was quite a journey, which I never expected to take part in and now, after fifteen years, I am always and ever grateful for the experience. You can read my story here. #Quora #SushiChef

(originally posted on Quora) Many people think sushi fish must be super fresh as if they are right off the boat. The truth is not necessarily. Not all fish tastes good when they are fresh. Such is the case with many white fish like Halibut and Tai Snapper. Here, I wrote an answer relating to the freshness of sushi fish and how to age some fish for sushi. Continue reading here #Ingredients #Sushi #Quora

(originally posted on Quora) Sashimi, at first glance, looks very simple and easy. After all, it's just slicing fish with a knife, right? No. Slicing fish is very very difficult. Well, let me rephrase. Slicing fish is easy. Slicing fish to make great-tasting Sashimi is difficult. Why? Here is my answer. #Sashimi #Quora

Some things are pretty obvious, and some things aren't. I think that is the case with Gari. As virtually all Japanese know why they eat Gari because they grew up eating it with their Sushi, while in the Western world, that Gari was virtually unknown until the introduction of Sushi. So, why do we eat Gari, Pickled Ginger with Sushi? Is that for the taste or are there any other reasons? Here is why. #Sushi #Quora #JapaneseFood

No one dies from eating Fugu. Contrary to popular myth, eating fugu does not automatically mean a death sentence like Homer Simpson experienced in the famous Simpson’s Fugu episode. I suppose this is very similar to the one of shark - that every shark in the ocean will attack and eat any human beings - the myth thanks to the movies such as Jaws and many overly-hyped documentaries, which tend to focus only on their "aggressive" feeding behavior. Continue reading here. #100Su