Overview
Sashimi (刺身) is thinly sliced raw food, one of the most famous dishes in Japanese cuisine. Seafood is most commonly served as sashimi, but other meats (such as beef, horse, and deer) and foods (like yuba tofu skin and konnyaku) can also be prepared this way. Some people confuse sashimi with sushi. Unlike sashimi, sushi includes vinegared rice.
Sashimi dishes are available at many types of restaurants and most izakaya. They are also commonly featured in teishoku set meals and are a standard element of traditional kaiseki course meals. The slices of raw food are often arranged on a bed of shredded daikon and garnished with shiso leaves. At some restaurants, the rest of the fish is sometimes presented alongside the sashimi as decoration.
How to Eat Sashimi
Most types of sashimi are seasoned with soy sauce by dipping each piece into a small dish of soy sauce before eating. It is usually the diner's responsibility to fill the small dishes with soy sauce, and it is good manners to pour only as much as needed.
Depending on the type of sashimi, a little wasabi or grated ginger may be added to the piece. This is most elegantly done by dabbing the wasabi or ginger directly onto the sashimi (as opposed to mixing it into the soy sauce). Some people also enjoy eating the daikon and shiso garnishes; both vegetables have a fresh, minty taste.
Popular Types of Sashimi
The following are some of the more common types of sashimi that travelers are likely to encounter during their trip to Japan. Most are available nationwide and year-round, except where noted.
Maguro is found at virtually all restaurants with sashimi on their menu. Most parts of the fish are eaten. The most common is akami, the deep red loins of the fish which are lean, firm, and meaty. Higher up on the scale is toro, the pink, fatty belly meat, prized for its rich, buttery flavor. Toro usually comes in two grades: chutoro (medium) and otoro (premium) depending on fat content. Some of the most prized tuna are caught off Cape Oma at the northernmost tip of Aomori Prefecture.
Sake is also popularly served as sashimi. Its bright orange flesh is tender, fatty, and delicious. Sometimes you can find salmon toro on the menu, which—like its tuna counterpart—is the fattier belly portion of the fish.
Tai, with its mild, subtle flavor, is considered one of the top white-fleshed fish in Japanese cuisine. Tai is often served during celebrations, such as weddings and the New Year.
Though more popularly served grilled, saba is also enjoyed as sashimi when in season. Its oily flesh gives it a smooth, meaty flavor that goes well with green onions and grated ginger. The oiliness also makes saba spoil quickly, which is why the fish is often preserved by lightly pickling it in vinegar to reduce its fishiness and extend its shelf life. The resulting dish, called shimesaba (as shown in the photo to the left), has a light, vinegared flavor.
A central ingredient in fish stock (dashi), katsuo is one of the most important fish in Japanese cuisine. Katsuo may be served as sashimi, but is more commonly eaten in a sashimi-like dish called katsuo no tataki, in which the katsuo loin is lightly seared, sliced, and served with a citrus-based sauce together with garnishes such as garlic or grated ginger.
Kanpachi is a type of yellowtail commonly served as sashimi. Kanpachi looks very similar to buri (see below) except that it has a lighter, even more translucent color. The fish, which is lean and mild, is at its best in early summer.
Closely related to kanpachi (see above), buri, also known as hamachi, is another commonly served yellowtail. Buri's translucent, pinkish white flesh has a high fat content, resulting in a rich, buttery flavor. Buri is available year-round but considered best in winter.