Sashimi

Sashimi (Japanese: 刺身, lit. "pierced body") is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh seafoods, thinly sliced and served with only a dipping sauce (like soy sauce with wasabi, or ponzu sauce), and a simple garnish like shiso and shredded daikon radish. Some sashimi ingredients, like octopus, are served cooked, but most fish, like tuna, are served raw. Less common but not unusual sashimi ingredients are vegetarian items such as yuba (bean curd skin) and raw red meats such as beef or horse. The name sashimi may have come from the practice of sticking the tail of the fish on the slices, to let it be known which fish one was eating.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Japanese - Seafood - Soy sauce - Wasabi - Ponzu - Shiso - Daikon - Octopus - Tuna - Yuba

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Sashimi is often the first course in a formal Japanese meal. Many people believe that sashimi, traditionally considered the finest dish in Japanese cuisine, should be eaten before other strong flavors which affect the palate.

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Sashimi is sometimes served with sushi. Japanese people often mix wasabi directly into soy sauce when preparing dipping sauces for sashimi, while this is generally not done when eating sushi; however, some purists denounce this practice as it dilutes the sharp flavor of wasabi.

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Tataki, (??? or ?? lit. "pounded"), is a type of sashimi that is lightly seared but still raw inside.

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