What do you think of sushi? Any recommendations for yummy stuff to try?

I've never been able to find sushi in my area and I've always wanted to try it. Finally found some real stuff while I was running errands this weekend and gave it a shot. YUM! I had California roll and I can't wait to try new varieties.

OMG! I LOVE SUSHI! It's my absolute favorite meal!! California roll is the best one to start with - I've never found anyone to dislike it - and it doesn't contain anything raw which is what many people are leary of. Hard for me to make recommendations as I love all of it - the most important thing, I think, is to find a good place to buy it - sushi is one thing that really requires FRESH ingredients. Some of my favorites are: cooked shrimp, eel (usually BBQ'd), tamago (which is omelette), raw scallop, raw salmon, raw spicy tuna, shitake mushroom, anything with crab - oh, and soft shell crab, which is usually called spider roll, is DIVINE!!
Hm, just thought of one I tried and didn't like - sea urchin - tasted like a little piece of dish sponge on rice, yucky! :giggle: There are also other mild ones like the California roll that are nice - avocado roll, oshinko roll (a Japanese pickle), and cucumber roll. A lot of places do a "pizza" roll, which can have various ingredients, but I've always found to be very good. Well, you'll have to tell us what you find and try! :)

Like Rosie, I too love sushi! Have to have it at least once a week or I start to show withdrawal symptoms. :lol: We have it available in the supermarket (a fresh sushi bar) or via takeout at a few of the Japanese restaurants in the area so even if it's not a going out, sit down dinner, which it usually isn't, we have sushi take out at least once a week. :yum:

California Roll is definitely a great and safe place to start. I also love a lot of the ones Rosie mentioned, with eel being a particular favorite. :yum: I pretty much like EVERYTHING except octopus since it's just way too chewy, couldn't even swallow it. It's not something they usually put in any of the "designer rolls" anyway as I don't think it's a favorite of many people.

We usually get a few pieces of sushi, raw fish on rice, and then a couple of "designer rolls". I love the spicy ones like spicy tuna, spicy crab, salmon, and yes I even like fish eggs (those little orange things). Tobiko and flying fish roe. I love it all.

With the rolls, there is a little bit of consistency in the naming. Like California Roll is the same wherever you go. Caterpillar roll is pretty much always eel and avocodo, and Boston roll is usually either shrimp or scallop and cucumber (I've seen it both ways). But with rolls, if I'm eating out on the other side of the country, I'll usually confirm, even with the ones that I always thought were sort of standard, as I've found regional differences from like Massachusetts to California.

The point re octopus is a good one - but if you can find a place that does it right, it isn't chewy, rubbery - and it's actually DELICIOUS! I'll usually try it once in any new place, because if I find a place that does it well, it's a favorite of mine! :)

I was lucky enough to go to an authentic Japanese Tea House several times when we lived in Honolulu. Every single time I tried sushi. I can eat the cooked stuff, but something about the texture of anything uncooked just put me off. It was funny, the guys (I used to work in bookkeeping for a construction company) would try to slip it past me, but I knew EVERY single time. LOL.

I think spider rolls are my favourite: they're made with the tempura'ed entire body of a tiny softshell crab.

Dynamite rolls are fun, too: tempura prawn.

Personally, I prefer the texture and flavour of a proper raw cut of sushi fish to most of the cooked fish I find on this continent. I'm definately spoiled 'cause I lived in Japan for a year :lol: I miss the food sooooo much sometimes.

I also highly recommend branching out into things other than the rolls if you get the chance. Try the cones. Try the beautiful little pats of rice with slabs of fish, or straight fish, too!
If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend a tako sunomono (a vinegary noodle salad with octopus -- that's what the tako is) or even kaki sunomono (same thing with crab)... Oh, and definately try yaki soba (japanese fried noodles) and/or Udon (tempura udon is my favourite: fat noodle soup with tempura'ed vegetables and/or prawns)... and few things can beat a really, really good miso soup.

:cries: why can't I get real food here? :lol: **trapped in the Yukon**

I am not a fan, although I did have sweet potato sushi once and I really liked that.

Cherie have you tried Fugakyu?

It will have to become a very special treat. The city I live in now is medium sized and I had to go an hour away to get anything that was remotely real. I'm moving to a teeny tiny town (think 2 stop signs, no lights) and I'm fairly certain neither of the mom and pop establishments "in town" serve sushi. lol

Lots of great suggestions! I'm bookmarking this thread. Does octopus taste anything like squid? That's one thing I've tried that I just couldn't handle. Not a mental thing because I didn't even know what it was. I just hated the taste.

Unfortunately, no. I think that might be the place we wanted to try for my birthday last year, before we went to see Wicked. But it was a tad too expensive for some of the other people going with us. :( At least the name sounds familiar, and I know the one we were thinking of had won a Best of Boston as well....

Why? Have you been? Is it worth me making a special trip for before I leave this side of the continent? :lol:

I'd say it's similar, but not exact. I don't care for either all that much, though squid if prepared correctly isn't always half bad. (Must be just like octopus in that way, which I've only ever had all chewy gooey like.) But then again... aren't calamari baby squid anyway? And I love those! So perhaps the toughness simply comes with size and age, as it does with lobster. :unsure:

Yum! I love sushi and sashimi! I especially love eel!! The only ones I don't care for are the giant roe (fish eggs - little tiny ones are fine) and urchin. I'm not a huge fan of the egg as it often is too sweet. I'm not a fan of sugar in my savory egg though I do enjoy a sweet custard. ;)

GG, where were you in Japan? Did you know that my little monkey was conceived during a trip to Japan? Some day I'll have to pull up the photo of me at a fertility shrine there again! :giggle:

I haven't branched out much in the world of sushi... but what I've had I really liked.. . HOWEVER, when you go places, I would be a bit careful. Here in the sticks, people aren't big sushi eaters. I went to one spot and got some off the bar, that wasn't quite as fresh as it should be :sick: For the most part I haven't had any problems, and I'm sure in other areas and bigger cities that really isn't a problem.

btw, eel is my fav!

Mmmmm, sushi. YUM! My favorite is Unagi (eel) Ebi (shrimp) and the spider rolls (soft shell crab). I also am currently addicted to Shiro maguro (white tuna) with ponzu sauce.

Actually, there isn't much I don't like. I'm not fond of Salmon, but that's because I've had a problem with any kind of Salmon since my first pregnancy 8 years ago. I used to like it, then got pregnant and haven't liked it since. Weird. And I wouldn't go out of my way for uni (sea urchin), clams or oysters, but I don't like those in any context.

I've never had sushi but have always wanted to try it! Well, vegetarian nori rolls, anyway. :giggle: