Let's talk about sushi...

[dabestspoona]

I havent been to LA in over 15 years, but I keep hearing that LA sushi is its own style, and that it shouldnt be compared to edomae sushi that you would find in Tokyo, or NY. What makes it different?

 

[Kid Nickels]



I havent been to LA in over 15 years, but I keep hearing that LA sushi is its own style, and that it shouldnt be compared to edomae sushi that you would find in Tokyo, or NY.  What makes it different?

I don't know if it's "LA" sushi per se. There's just as much "American" sushi (e.g. deep-fried, crazy sauce, crazy ingredient monstrosities) here as anywhere else, but there are also a hell of a lot of Japanese folks here too. It's not uncommon to see places with a "No California Rolls" sign in the window (which I still find amusing). There are also plenty of very traditional sushi bars and izakayas.

My tastes run the gamut from the quick lunch bite Sushi Stop spicy tuna to the sublime pleasure of Sugarfish omakase. I don't claim to be any kind of expert, but Sugarfish is the best sushi I've had outside of Japan... just sayin'.

 

[dabestspoona]

So I got a bit of clarification. LA places for the most part dont do the whole dry aging and curing of fish except for Q Sushi, or heavily vinegared.

 

[Kid Nickels]

^ sure... that's very traditional and is "Japanese" sushi. But I don't know if not being THAT per se is by default a "California style" that is somehow different. I haven't lived in LA long enough to know all the good joints... PM member Jet and ask him... he probably knows.

 

[indesertum]

not dry aging, curing, or vinegaring fish is typical of edomae sushi which is pretty much sushi you encounter everywhere outside of japan....

what you're talking about is pretty regionally specific in kyoto although famous sushi places have a course or two taken from that book

 

[Kid Nickels]



love sushi but sometimes not fresh enough

then find a better place... problem solved.

 

[indesertum]

pretty much everywhere you eat sushi, the fish will be frozen. even the high end places. it's a good thing not a bad thing. you don't want fresh fish for sushi. you want that rigor mortis texture. you want fresh fish for sashimi tho

 

[Dragon]

^^ never heard of that before. Some fish doesn't taste it's best fresh from the catch, but I don't think most places serve frozen (aside from the cheap places).

 

[hbkshin]

My father is a sushi chef and owner of a legit sushi restaurant so I've been spoiled most of my life with great sushi. I still visit his store once in a while. Salmon is by -FAR- my favorite in typical sushi but I've had Ootoro once in my life and it's definitely one of my Top Ten Things To Try Before You Die.

 

[indesertum]

i dont understand how if your father is a legit sushi chef you've only had ootoro once in your life

well the most optimal method would be fish slaughtered by immediate brain death (ikejime) and then eating it about 8 hours after that. even a lot of the top sushi restaurants don't have access to that especially in the us. the next best method would be fish flash frozen around that optimal time. the cheap places use fish that really don't care that much and pretty much shipped from everywhere.

 

[Kid Nickels]



^^ never heard of that before. Some fish doesn't taste it's best fresh from the catch, but I don't think most places serve frozen (aside from the cheap places).

indesertum I believe is correct . I even saw one of Tokyo's most esteemed sushi chef's on a CNN program (maybe Bourdain or something IIRC) who purposely flash freezes the fish in a way that renders it more delicate and tender and thus more preferable to even the freshest catch. I'm no expert so ymmv.

 

[abkain]

That was Chef Yasuda on the Bourdain show - who not too long ago moved from NY to Tokyo. His former spot in NYC - Sushi Yasuda - was one of the best in the country. In LA: Mori, Zo, Q and Go's Mart would be my picks unless we are talking $375 per head Urasawa level. Sugarfish is not bad but is not traditional in the way they sauce their fish - although that can be good for a change of pace. LA has a massive Japanese population and has arguably the best sushi in the US though some may argue the very high end in NYC (ie Masa) is better.

 

[Dragon]

I`m not an expert either, but I bet the freezing is more for fish like salmon. Also most tuna is probably frozen at sea. I wonder if the other types of fish are actually better frozen though. I can't imagine all the little sushi places doing business right in the fishing harbors just so they can serve frozen.

Also, unlike sushi places in the U.S. salmon is not a common fish for sushi. Well, it is common now in Japan too among mediocre and cheap restaurants, but it is rare to find salmon served in the proper restaurants.

 

[indesertum]

Yeah I don't know if it's the freezing that makes it better versus freezing well processed fish. But you can't get your typical sushi fish in your local harbor unless you live in Hokkaido. Especially in North America the fish is flow from everywhere from the Atlantic to the pacific. You can't get optimally preserved fresh fish like that. It has to be frozen unless you're shelling big bucks for shipping like masa and if you're going to do that might as well fly it from Hokkaido

It's a big reason why uni at even top places have that mushy quality to it. Fresh fresh uni has totally different texture

 

[dabestspoona]

not dry aging, curing, or vinegaring fish is typical of edomae sushi which is pretty much sushi you encounter everywhere outside of japan....

what you're talking about is pretty regionally specific in kyoto although famous sushi places have a course or two taken from that book

Wait I thought edomae places typically cure\vinegar especially since most hikarimono goes bad pretty quickly.