Thursday, May 22, 2008

Fish Guanaja - Butterfish Sashimi?

Fish Guanaja? Sometimes it works out better if you just buy it off a local fisherman! We caught up with our fishing guy in his dug out canoe ... too cool! He had some absolutely wonderful butter fish ... you know, that white, melt in your mouth fish that is terrific eaten as sashimi.


I have located some "rules of sashimi:

For the Japanese, sushi is a fun finger food. It's also steeped in time-honored traditions of cleanliness, which dictate that it should not be touched more than is absolutely necessary.

In the case of sashimi, you are not to touch the fish under any circumstance. But with raw nigiri, which is essentially the same slice of fish on top of a small ball of rice, you do touch the fish with the tip of the thumb to hold it in place.

Sashimi: These plain slices of raw fish with no rice are eaten with chopsticks, never held with the fingers. One tip of the slice is lightly dabbed in the soy sauce, not dunked. That end is touched first to the tongue, where the hint of salty flavor "awakens" the taste buds and revives the true briny flavor of the fish. Eat it all at once; do not try to tear off a bite.

Dipping sauce: Use the soy sauce as served. Do not mix wasabi paste into it. That is not done in Japan traditionally, and moreover, mixing adulterates the flavor of both ingredients, destroying their subtler nuances.

Pickled ginger: Pickled ginger is served alongside sushi as a refreshing palate-cleanser; one small slice is eaten between differing items to avoid the mingling of conflicting flavors. It is not intended to be added to the sushi or sashimi s an additional topping.



OK, here we are. Captain Bob is mixing up his special wasabi dipping sauce with everyone gathered around!

So if you happen to find yourself fishing in Guanaja and decide to slice up your catch for a little sashimi ... you'll know the "rules", but on second thought ... who cares ...bon appetite !

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I don't eat fish, but the way you tell about them and the made photos are really attractive...