Sushi is renowned as one of the world’s top cuisines, having taken both the homeland of Japan and the world by storm. According to statistics from Statistic Brain, there are 45,000 sushi restaurants in Japan and 16,000 spread out across the world. In the United States alone, sushi bars and restaurants pull in $2 billion a year.
As you might imagine, some things have been lost in translation between the original sushi in Japan and that which is sold here in the States. Namely, according to They Call Me an Egg, a popular blog and source on Japanese culture, Americans tend to eat only sushi with some sake or beer when they go out. As the best chefs at the best sushi restaurants in the country can tell you, sometimes a trip to your local sushi restaurants should mean eating more than your favorite sushi roll.
Four Favorite Fresh Seafood Dishes That Aren’t Quite Sushi
- Chawanmushi
- Chutoro Sashimi
- Chirashizushi
- A Classic Shrimp Fry
Chawanmushi, taking its name from chawan, meaning teacup, and mushi, meaning steamed, is a savory custard dish. Featuring fresh shrimp, vegetables, and chicken, all steamed into the custard, this makes for the perfect appetizer to start off your barrage of sushi treats, as Japanese Cooking 101 suggests.
Chutoro sashimi is often regarded as one of the finest pieces of fresh seafood you can have, inside a sushi restaurant or out, as Metropolitan Sushi writes. Meaning “middle tuna collar,” chutoro is in-between akami and otoro in terms of fat content. Eaten as a simple strip of perfectly cut sea flesh with just a touch of soy sauce, there are few better things you could order at your favorite sushi bar.
Chirashizushi, literally translating to “scattered sushi,” is the closest our list comes to a true sushi dish. Unlike the more well known types of sushi, chirashi usually features multiple different types of seafood, mushrooms, and cucumber. After being placed upon a bowl of sushi rice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and white sesame seeds are scattered over the top. The dish is then eaten like a typical rice bowl.
The shrimp fry, known as ebi furai in Japanese, is one of many Yoshoku, or Western-style, foods that were created following World War II to suit the tastes of American soldiers. Using Japanese panko breadcrumbs and a unique cold-water batter, this version of fried shrimp is known for being light, crunchy, and a perfect accompaniment to a night out for sushi.
The best sushi restaurants in the world offer fresh seafood dishes in the form of sushi, but they also allow their customers to have a authentic experience by offering other dishes. These fresh seafood dishes are crucial parts of a successful trip to sushi restaurants across the Pacific. Why not have the same delicious experience stateside? Check out this website for more.