There is a moderate amount of space between the grains of rice.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” says the sushi chef as he places a nigiri sushi in front of you, pieces of rice falling out. You may be served this kind of nigiri sushi at restaurants that have lines out the door. Of course, nigiri sushi that falls apart before it reaches your lips is a no-go.
Good nigiri sushi looks solid, but the rice naturally falls apart when you put it in your mouth. Secondly, the loosened rice absorbs the saliva that has the flavor of the topping, and does not make your mouth sticky.
On the other hand, if the rice is pressed tightly, it does not absorb the saliva. The taste of the toppings continues to linger in your mouth and gradually becomes a nuisance. In short, when they press the sushi, the surface is firmly pressed, but the inside is fluffy. This is the perfect way to press sushi.
At first, they will be too focused on the shape, their fingers will be too tense, and they will be pressing too hard. Once they relax their fingers and get a sense of the subtle pressure, they will be a full-fledged sushi chef. It is said that they should press the shari as if they were wrapping it in air.
For example, shari pressed for gunkanmaki should be hard enough to crumble after being placed on their index finger for five seconds. For nigiri sushi, it should be hard enough to sink a few millimeters when placed on a plate under the weight of the topping.
A master sushi chef is at the next level, and it is said that “nigiri sushi made by a master can be seen through when held up to the light.” He holds the sushi very gently. And it doesn’t lose its shape.
During the Edo period when Nigiri sushi originated, it was sold in food stalls. People chose the sushi topping they wanted and satisfied their hunger. There is no such thing as the order of eating. In the first place, there are no rules about how to eat food.
The order in which the food is eaten is at the discretion of the eater.
You can eat Nigiri sushi in any order you like. We dare say that the order of eating dessert first, then the main meat or fish dish, and finally the appetizers is not a good one. Something similar to this even exists in Nigiri sushi.
Recently, Nigiri sushi has become a mainstream dish served in the Omakase course, in which the sushi chef has thought of the best order to eat the sushi. In this case, the sushi chef has thought of the best order in which to eat the sushi. The eater is left to his/her own choice.
Since when do we care about the order of eating?
This is due to the internationalization of Nigiri sushi. Everyone is taught how to eat a dish for the first time. And if you don’t know much about sushi topping, it is only natural that you would want to know more about it.
Generally, start by eating fish with a lighter flavor like white fish and move onto fish with a heavier flavor such as Toro, Uni, Japanese conger (Anago), and then Egg (Tamagoyaki). Finishing with Seaweed rolls at the end is a typical way.
The following menu is an Omakase style atthe Former 3 Michelin star restaurant in Ginza. Since Sayori is offered, one can imagine that the season is early spring. This menu is composed of sushi topping that changes as the seasons change.
And Omelette (Tamagoyaki) comes last, just along the general order. Perhaps the way this owner serves might have become common.
To maximize each flavor of toppings, have some pickled ginger or hot tea between different types of sushi to cleanse your palate. You don’t have to stick to the specific order, though. It seems like having customers eat freely is the idea held in common by most sushi chefs. However, indeed, you won’t be able to taste the next flavor after eating something rather sweet. Japanese conger (Anago), Egg (Tamagoyaki), and Kanpyoumaki should be eaten at the end.
We went to Tsujiki wholesale fish market today also, and actually got to enter at the time all food professionals are buying and selling.
The tuna auction begins at 5:00 am. Then about 6:30 am, intermediate wholesalers start lining up their winning bid tuna. Therefore, it is around the time when people like masters from sushi restaurants come to buy fish. Once professional deals settle down at 10:00 am, all the other visitors and foreign tourists are allowed to get in the market.
What exactly is the difference between on what is going on before and after 10:00 am? That is how determined sellers and buyers are. It is entirely full of sprit because it is a place for exchanging valuable information.
This is one situation I saw how they interact. As they talk about how Tuna, air transported from Boston, is fatty but doesn’t have any flavor of Tuna compared to the inshore ones, they let me try a piece. The one from inshore definitely tastes more as Tuna for sure.
“I’ll take about a 20cm width of the belly, around this part of the inshore one.”
Shrimp used in sushi is typically evaluated based on six criteria: color, sweetness, umami, aroma, texture, and cost. This evaluation excludessweet shrimp and botan shrimp, which are eaten raw.
Among shrimp that are cooked—usually by boiling—and served in sushi restaurants, including conveyor belt sushi, the most commonly used are banamei shrimp (farmed), black tiger shrimp (farmed), and kuruma shrimp (wild or farmed).
In Japan, annual shrimp consumption is estimated at around 250,000 tons. Of this, banana shrimp and black tiger shrimp make up approximately 80%, while kuruma shrimp accounts for less than one-tenth of banamei shrimp’s volume.
Banamei Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)
Banamei shrimp is the world’s most widely farmed white shrimp and is commonly used in Japan, especially in conveyor belt sushi and supermarkets.
When cooked, its color shifts from pale pink to a soft orange, creating a clean, uniform appearance ideal for commercial use. Its sweetness is mild and understated, offering a balanced flavor that blends well with vinegared rice.
The umami is gentle and neutral, without any strong distinctive notes, making it a good companion to other ingredients. However, its aroma is weak, especially when cooked without the shell, which is why it’s rarely used in high-end sushi establishments where fragrance is prized.
The texture is soft and slightly moist, particularly after freezing and thawing, making it easy to eat for all ages.
Where banamei shrimp excels is in cost-effectiveness. Its high yield, low price, and ease of processing make it a go-to option for volume-based food service. Though not remarkable in any single aspect, its consistency and affordability make it indispensable for everyday sushi.
Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon)
Black tiger shrimp, named for its dark striped shell, is a large species that once dominated global shrimp farming. It remains popular in Japan as a sushi and tempura ingredient, even as banamei shrimp has become more prevalent.
When cooked, it shows a vivid red-orange border contrasting with its white flesh—a striking visual that enhances the presentation of nigiri sushi. This eye-catching appearance makes it popular in local and mid-range sushi restaurants.
It has a slightly richer sweetness than banamei shrimp, paired with moderate umami and a clean, balanced flavor. While its raw aroma is faint, cooking brings out a subtle shrimp-like fragrance that complements the delicate scents of sushi.
Its texture is firm and springy, retaining its structure even after freezing, which makes it suitable for processing. This satisfying chew is one of the reasons it’s favored in sushi preparation.
Although farming costs have risen in recent years, black tiger shrimp still provides solid value as a mid-tier option. It’s more expensive than banamei shrimp but cheaper than kuruma shrimp, making it a practical choice for many sushi restaurants.
Overall, black tiger shrimp strikes a good balance between appearance, taste, and cost—neither luxurious nor cheap, but reliably satisfying.
Kuruma Shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus)
Kuruma shrimp is a premium species native to Japan and prized in both sushi and traditional kaiseki cuisine. Its excellence lies not only in its high status but in its culinary balance—color, sweetness, umami, aroma, and texture are all outstanding.
When cooked, it takes on a brilliant orange-red hue with a glossy finish that signals freshness and quality. In its raw state, it has a translucent reddish-brown shell that transforms into a visually stunning centerpiece after boiling—ideal for high-end sushi presentation.
Its sweetness is refined and natural, gradually unfolding with each bite and harmonizing beautifully with sushi rice. Unlike straightforward sugary sweetness, it carries a richness tied to the shrimp’s inherent umami.
That umami deepens when heated, resulting in a pure, well-defined flavor with a clean aftertaste. Expert sushi chefs often grill or steam kuruma shrimp lightly to draw out its full potential.
Its aroma is delicate and marine-like, intensifying when cooked and adding elegance to the dish. The texture is supple yet resilient, with fine muscle fibers that feel smooth on the tongue. Unlike the springy bite of banamei or black tiger shrimp, kuruma shrimp has a calm, refined elasticity—a “quiet luxury” that signals quality from the first bite.
Due to limited domestic production and a focus on wild-caught varieties, it comes at a premium price. Even farmed kuruma shrimp remains significantly more expensive than banamei or black tiger shrimp. As a result, it’s rarely used in conveyor belt sushi and is mostly reserved for upscale restaurants.
In traditional Edomae sushi, kuruma shrimp may be aged in kimizu oboro (sweetened egg vinegar oboro) for several days to enhance its umami and introduce a gentle acidity. Its preparation also requires care—shrimp naturally curl during boiling, so chefs make precise incisions or use skewers to keep them straight, a technique that showcases culinary skill.
In short, kuruma shrimp combines taste, aroma, beauty, and elegance into a single, premium ingredient. Though costly, it brings depth and refinement that elevates sushi to an art form—a true “star” of the sushi counter.
Zuke is one of the traditional Edo-style sushi methods. It is said that it was started in the Edo period to stop tuna from rotting when there were large amounts of the fish in the market. Now that there has been advances in refrigeration technology, it’s no longer necessary, but maturing the fish gives it a completely different taste and brings out its umami. Zuke is divided into two broad methods. Here we describe the characteristics of each.
Recently, most sushi restaurants incorporate the “Single Zuke”.
Each slice of tuna is soaked separately, so it can mature quickly. The immersion time is only a few minutes. The idea is to marinate just enough so that the tuna’s aroma remains and the soy sauce doesn’t overtake it.
On the other hand, the old Edo-style method is to perform Zuke after parboiling.
Parboiling means to wrap the fish in a wet cloth, and poor boiling water on the wrapping until the color of the tuna changes color, then turn the fish over and repeat the process. The fish is then put in ice water so the heat doesn’t go too deep in the meat. It is immediately removed once it cools so that it doesn’t get too watery. The tuna is then put in Zuke soy sauce and left to marinate for about half a day. In this method, the soy sauce only soaks into the surface part where the color changed from the parboiling, so the flavor of the tuna remains.
Both methods keep the maximum tuna flavor possible. Tuna is an essential part of Edo-style sushi. There is great diversity between sushi restaurants in the parts, marinating time and flavor of Zuke, which creates a new, original flavor when the lean meat of the tuna soaks up the soy sauce. The fattiest cuts of tuna are most popular. The lean meat has only become more popular due to a rekindled interest in zuke, but in fact during the peak of the bubble economy, there was a time when high-end restaurants in Ginza didn’t know what to do with all their leftover lean tuna meat. It’s almost unbelievable to think of it now.
To maximize each flavor of toppings, have some pickled ginger or hot tea between different types of sushi to cleanse your palate. You don’t have to stick to the specific order, though. It seems like having customers eat freely is the idea held in common by most sushi chefs. However, indeed, you won’t be able to taste the next flavor after eating something rather sweet. Japanese conger (Anago), Egg (Tamagoyaki), and Kanpyoumaki should be eaten at the end.
这里提到的各项事宜不仅仅是寿司店特有的礼仪，也适用于日本的所有饮食店。简单概括为一点，就是不影响到其他客人就可以了。请参考下列各项。
Sushi Shrimp Overview
Zuke is one of the traditional Edo-style sushi methods. It is said that it was started in the Edo period to stop tuna from rotting when there were large amounts of the fish in the market. Now that there has been advances in refrigeration technology, it’s no longer necessary, but maturing the fish gives it a completely different taste and brings out its umami. Zuke is divided into two broad methods. Here we describe the characteristics of each.