Supper Club 2: Sushi Tuesday! (1/25/11)

Sushi- my favorite overpriced undercooked food. While I love sitting at a sushi bar watching a chef, who probably apprenticed in Japan for a hundred years, expertly slice a wee piece off a semi-beautiful looking fish for a mere $12, I decided watching my best friends struggle over rice and badly cut fish would be way more fun. And it was!

Edamame, wasabi peas, sesame crackers, sashimi, and baked scallops held us over as we took turns struggling through several hundred yards of saran wrap, sticky rice and chunks of raw fish. When it was all done, though, the spread was absolutely beautiful. We were luckily to get a few pictures in before it became a mad dash of chopsticks and fingers reaching to grab a spicy tuna roll, a salmon avocado roll, or something Phoebe invented involving everything that was within her reach. I think I might have actually tasted some potato chip crumbles…

Sake shots, lots of laughter and record-breaking amounts of inappropriate conversation made us forget the sticky rice that had somehow ended up in our hair and down our shirts and like always we all left counting the moments until next Tuesday.


Things you will need for a sushi night:

Sharp knife
Bamboo sushi roller
Seran wrap
Nori (thin dried seaweed sheets used for rolling sushi)
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Chop sticks





Sushi fillings we used:

Cooked chopped shrimp
Spicy tuna salad (chopped raw tun, sriracha and Kewpie to taste)
Spicy creamy scallop salad
Raw salmon slices
Imitation crab*
Avocado slices
Jullienned cucumber
Sprouts
Jalapeno slices



*Found in freezer section of Japanese market. Rub between hands and then chop to break up and then mix with Kewpie to taste.


Jalapeno Sashimi Appetizer

salmon or yellowtail
1 part soy sauce
1 part yuzu sauce*
thinly sliced Jalapenos (if you want it spicy keep the white part, if not remove)
small two inch slices of sashimi



Combine soy and yuzu. Place jalapenos on sashimi. Drizzle soy/yuzu sauce on the fish.
*Yuzu is citrus juice that can be found at any Asian market.


Sushi rice
2 cups short grained rice
5 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Rinse rice in large bowl until water is clear
Put rice in medium saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water
Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes)
Place rice in bowl and cool in refrigerator
Mix vinegar, sugar, salt and sesame seeds
When rice is cool, mix in vinegar mixture gradually


Cutting sashimi and fish for rolls

The first, and most important part is make sure you have a good knife
Slice 1/4-1/2 pieces across the grain (by slicing the fish you are making sure the cuts are even and fish stays together)
Clean knife after every slice
You want the natural lines of the fish going vertical




Spicy Creamy Scallops
1 lb scallops chopped into 1/2 inch dices
4 tablespoons Japanese mayo*
2 tablespoons Sriracha

Preheat oven to 400
Mix scallops with other ingredients
Place in baking dish
Cook for 15 minutes

*You can find Japanese mayo at any Asian grocery store. I prefer using Kewpie 1/2.




Fresh Fruit Salsa
I realize that fruit salsa isn't exactly Japanese but I felt it went the raw theme we had going.

Ingredients:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
1 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
2 bags cinnamon sugar pita chips

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Serve with cinnamon sugar pita chips. I usually need 2 bags.


Booze Pairing
Cocktail: Cucumber Saketini

3 ounces Hendrix gin
1 ounce sake
6 thinly sliced cucumbers

Mix gin, sake, 5 slices of cucumber and ice in cocktail shaker
Put last slice cucumber on rim of glass as garnish

Beer: Kirin
Pale golden color with lacy white head. Sweet grassy aromas with hints of citrus. Balanced and refreshing with some tartness. Clean and subtle on palate so does not clash with spicy sauces.

Wine: White
Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde Portugal $7

This slightly effervescent wine is a perfect inexpensive wine to go with sushi. Delicate enough to not overpower fish but also has a complex acidity that makes it a joy to drink. Aromas of tropical fruit, apples and white flowers.

Wine: Red
A-Z Pinot Noir

Minerals, cherries, and spice on the nose. Great rich balance of heat, fruit, and tannin on the palate. Acidity and fruit tones accentuate the rich flavors of the tuna and salmon.



Cheers!
Christa, Rachel and Phoebe


About Rachel

Rachel is the "professional drinker" of the group. She is from California but currently resides in Somerville. She graduated from Boston University's Culinary Arts program in the Fall but her true love is booze, which is why she is drinking her way through the Elizabeth Bishop and Master Sommelier programs. She has traveled the world drinking wine but her favorite spot is among her ladies...