100 Kinds of Sushi

#11 Ikura (Salmon Roe)

Ikura is the Japanese word for salmon roe. The name comes from "ikra" the Russian word for (caviar). It is a high value seafood and people have treated it as a delicacy in different cuisines. In terms of taste, ikura taste very fishy, and the strong fishy taste would definitely turn off a lot of non-seafood lovers. Caviar (Ikura) is a love-it-or-hate-it type of food. As a seafood lover myself, ikura roll is almost my favourite because of its very strong and pungent afterbreath. Fresh s...

#10 Katsuo – (Bonito)

Bonito is very fishy and sometimes you can say it smells so strong that it seems stale. I would say it is sometimes true. Sometimes I would think eating bonito fish is like eating duck meat. A weird comparison, I know, but that's what I feel. That is why bonito fish is marinated in a vingeary sauce before serving at times or it will be paired with some ginger to remove its fishy smell. Another fun fact is bonito fish is used in many flavor enhancing sauces, and the most common one is the ...

#9 Anago – Salt Water Eel

This is one of the few nigiri sushi that is served cooked. In fact you need to cook eel because consumption because see eel is mildly toxic when uncooked. (And you can avoid bei ng zapped in the mouth) It is almost easiest to make a good anago because it always taste pretty good when cooked and the eel sauce is a tasty thick and rich sauce that will greatly enhance the flavor of the eel. The sauce is usually made out of a combination of soy sauce, sugar, salt, a bit of MSG, bonito extract...

#8 Hokkigai – Surf Clam

I am very surprised to see that hokkigai is not so prominent in the US. Hokkigai clam is a specialty item in Hokkaido Japan and you can buy frozen ones. Surf clam has a crispier texture than the akagai and abalone and the meat that you are served in sushi is the top part of the cleaned surf clam, with all the rest of the meat(the intestines and the himo) detached. In my experience, the hokkigai surf clam is served raw, but it will taste okay even if you poached it in a hot pot or shabu...

#7 Hotate – Scallop

Scallop is a simple delicacy compared to the other more exotic seashell options. You will expect them often in a sushi restaurant. I think scallop only taste good when served raw and it loses a great deal of its taste when cooked. You can taste the Unami (rumoured 5th sense of taste, representing freshness, just like eating MSG) of the scallop when it is served fresh. And it tastes very good in that way. You should look for sushi grade scallop. In the US the sushi grade scallops are flash...