Have you ever wanted to make your own sushi but don't know where to find sushi-grade fish beforehand? It turns out that you can make your fish "sushi-grade" from the comfort of your own home!
Always remember to do your research prior to making your own at-home sushi! The steps listed below are summaries of the research I've done, and not a comprehensive report of the steps and dangers that go along with consuming raw rish.
Use Farm-Raised Salmon Instead of Wild Caught Salmon.
There is a lot of debate over farm raised versus wild caught salmon. I am a huge fan of wild-caught salmon when it's being cooked, but when turning a salmon filet into sashimi approved salmon, you'll want to choose farm-raised. Wild caught salmon is extremely susceptible to parasites. While of course farm raised salmon are not immune to parasites, from what I've learned online - farm raised salmon are fed parasite-free pellets, and a controlled diet, so as to not eat infected prey or other contaminated food. Don't just take my word for it, please do your own research before consuming raw fish!
Inspect the fish for bones and parasites (regardless of farm-raised or wild caught).
The fish handlers as well as the grocery stores/distributor should be doing this step, but it's important to check for yourself because you don't want to mess around with raw fish. There is a technique called candling where you use a light to look more thoroughly through the meat. Candling will be easier to accomplish after removing the skin, cutting it into thin slices sashimi slices, and then holding up to a light source to check for abnormalities.
Cut off the skin.
Start with the fillet skin side down on a cutting board specifically used for fish and fish products. Beginning at the thinnest end of the fillet, make a cut between the skin and meat and carefully cut away from you.
Wrap the fillet into a freezer bag and insulate.
Wrap each fillet in a clean newspaper, or the wrapping paper that the salmon originally came wrapped in from the market. Once they're insulated place the fillets into freezer bags. If you want extra insulation to prevent freezer burn, you can place the wrapped fillets into a freezer approved tupperware. Make sure that there isn't any extra air in the bags, and that the tupperware is completely sealed.
Freeze for 2 weeks.
At the end of two weeks you need to thaw the fish out. Check that there isn't any freezer burn. Once my fillets were thawed out I triple checked for bones, parasites, and abnormalities. I didn't find anything, but felt better knowing I had checked again. Once you take it out of the freezer you need to consume within 24 hours!
Enjoy!
Let me know when you try your at-home sushi by tagging @sipsandsushi on Instagram!
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