Neta
Why is sushi fish of higher quality?
Sushi
For culinary, sanitary, and aesthetic reasons, the minimum quality and freshness of fish to be eaten raw must be superior to that of fish which is to be cooked. Sushi chefs are trained to recognize important attributes, including smell, color, firmness, and freedom from parasites that may go undetected in commercial inspection. Commonly used fish are tuna ("maguro, shiro-maguro"), Japanese amberjack, yellowtail ("hamachi"), snapper ("kurodai"), mackerel ("saba"), and salmon ("sake"). The most valued sushi ingredient is "toro," the fatty cut of the fish. This comes in a variety of "ōtoro" (often from the bluefin species of tuna) and "chūtoro", meaning "middle toro", implying that it is halfway into the fattiness between "toro" and the regular cut. "Aburi" style refers to "nigiri" sushi where the fish is partially grilled (topside) and partially raw. Most nigiri sushi will be completely raw. Other seafoods such as squid ("ika"), eel ("anago" and "unagi"), pike conger ("hamo"), octopus ("tako"), shrimp ("ebi" and "amaebi"), clam ("mirugai", "aoyagi" and "akagai"), fish roe ("ikura", "masago", "kazunoko" and "tobiko"), sea urchin ("uni"), crab ("kani"), and various kinds of shellfish (abalone, prawn, scallop) are the most popular seafoods in sushi. Oysters, however, are less common, as the taste is not thought to go well with the rice. "Kani kama", or imitation crab stick, is commonly substituted for real crab, most notably in California rolls. Pickled daikon radish ("takuan") in "shinko maki", pickled vegetables ("tsukemono"), fermented soybeans ("nattō") in "nattō maki", avocado, cucumber in "kappa maki", asparagus, yam, pickled ume ("umeboshi"), gourd ("kanpyō"), burdock ("gobo"), and sweet corn (possibly mixed with mayonnaise) are also used in sushi. Tofu and eggs (in the form of slightly sweet, layered omelette called "tamagoyaki" and raw quail eggs ride as a "gunkan-maki" topping) are common.