The Last Samurai (of Galway)

A great thing about living in New York is the endless and diverse amount of produce at your disposal. I doubt there's an ingredient for some obscure dish that you couldn't find in one of the thousands of ethnic shops. So when you get the urge to make your own Japanese feast you need only walk to your trusted fishmonger and get yourself  a big chunk of sushi grade tuna. But I don't live in New York anymore. I currently reside in the west of Ireland.  Not exactly the mecca of Japanese cuisine.  But specialty shops have started to crop up and after a few years of searching around and asking i can pretty much get whatever i need these days (albeit sometimes at extortionate prices).  Even Italian food is a relative newcomer in these parts.  In an article by Paolo Tullio, "the Italian food critic of Ireland", he describes how ten years ago the only place to get a bottle of extra virgin olive oil was the pharmacy!  But Italian food is now firmly rooted here.  In Dublin there is a wide variety of regional Italian restaurants to choose from.  The west is catching up, but ask a local for marinara and you could get mistook for soliciting drugs.

But this an island and an island means fish.  Fresh fish means...well a lot of things, and one thing is sushi, those beautiful shining pieces of raw fish flesh that i miss so much.  I realised about 3 years ago that the only way to get it here in Galway was to prepare my own. As willing as most people are to gorge on it in restaurants, most home cooks seem to shy away from it. I'm not a skilled Japanese knife wielder but i no longer have the luxury of walking out of my apartment on the upper east side and having my choice of Japanese restaurants on every corner.  So if i want it i make it.  Obviously you need the freshest of fish. Salmon is abundant off the shores of Ireland and you can get it as fresh as the best restaurants in the world.  Tuna, the crown jewel of sushi, has to be imported. But not to worry, a lot of Japanese restaurants import their fish from Japan.  I just have to be patient. This is where it helps to be friendly with your fishmonger. When Patrick gets in a nice piece of fresh tuna, usually from Sri Lanka, he sends me a text. This often leads to spontaneous sushi eating when you weren't expecting it but who's complaining.  If you don't know your fishmonger and don't like the look or smell of the fish, DO NOT ask him if what you are buying is ok to eat raw.  What is he going to do?  Admit that his fish isn't fresh?  I don't think so.  If he lies and says yes then you're possibly in store for an agonizing, sweating, gut wrenching night.  Basically, not a good strategy.  So get to know your guy and use common sense.   

Fresh fish in hand, the next key ingredient is your sushi rice. The sugar and rice vinegar flavouring is nearly as important as the freshest of fish.  I always use this rice recipe:   Rinse 2 1/2 cups sushi rice under cold water until it runs clear; drain in the strainer for an hour.  Put in a saucepan with 3 cups water, bring to the boil and cook 5-10 mins or until tunnels form on surface.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 12-15 mins until tender. Remove from heat, cover with a tea towel, leave for 15 mins.  Combine 5 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp sugar(yes 2 tbsp) and stir to dissolve.  Spread the rice in a non-metallic tray, top with the dressing and mix thru.  Spread out and cool to body tempurature.  Once your fish is sliced you're ready for rolls, sashimi or sushi.  Get a nice hot wasabi paste because who doesn't love the wasabi burn that hits you right in the most sensitive area of your nostril and an overdose can double you over in pain.  And don't forget your sake, lots of it.

P.S.  Shizuo Tsuji has a book called "Japanese Cooking- A Simple Art"  It's a bible of Japanese food.  If you enjoy Japanese cooking then  I highly recommend it.