She Strengthens

Savoring the Freshness: A Sashimi Recipe to Delight

When it comes to sashimi, the quality of the fish is paramount. With only a few ingredients involved, it’s essential to select the best fish you can find. For this recipe, we opted for yellowfin tuna, but salmon or hamachi would also work beautifully.

Selecting the Perfect Fish

To ensure the freshest flavor, buy your fish from a reputable source and inform your fishmonger that you’ll be serving it raw. This will guarantee you receive a top-quality piece.

The Art of Soy Sauce

Regular soy sauce is made from a combination of 80% soybeans and 20% wheat. However, white soy sauce, also known as shiro-shoyu, reverses this ratio, using 80% wheat and 20% soybeans. To take it to the next level, niboshi (tiny dried sardines), kombu (dried giant seaweed), and dried shiitake mushrooms are added to create a rich and flavorful brew called shiro dashi. This can be found in Japanese and Asian markets or online. If shiro dashi is not available, a high-quality Japanese soy sauce will suffice.

A Simple yet Elegant Presentation

To maintain the quality of the fish, serve it on chilled plates and keep the sashimi refrigerated until you’re ready to slice it. This will ensure the freshness and texture of the fish remain intact.

The Recipe

Yield: 8 servings
Difficulty: Easy
Total Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh, sashimi-quality fish (such as yellowfin tuna or salmon)
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons shiro dashi or regular Japanese soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon thinly sliced chives

Instructions:

1. Remove the fish from the refrigerator and slice it very thinly using a sharp knife with a thin blade.
2. Divide the slices evenly among 8 plates.
3. Drizzle each serving with about 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, adding more as desired.
4. Sprinkle sesame seeds and chives over the fish and serve immediately.

Beverage Pairing:

Tozai Junmai Living Jewel Sake, Japan, perfectly complements the creamy texture and pillowy softness of good fish. The delicate flavor of sake enhances the freshness of the sashimi, creating a truly unforgettable culinary experience.