Special FeatureSushi! Sushi! Sushi!

The genius of Edo-mae-zushi chefs

When making nigiri-zushi, what is the best way to mold the sushi rice? One expert, now deceased, put it this way: “When you’ve finished, the grains of rice should be loose enough that you can see the light from a light bulb filtering through the gaps. The clump shouldn’t fall apart even if you knock it over, but when you put it in your mouth and move it about with your tongue it should collapse nicely.”

Here again, we have a delicate balance: sushi made by the best chefs creates a harmony of rice and topping that practically dissolves in the mouth.

And the shape of the clump of rice? If you look at it from the side, the bottom should be slightly narrower than the top, so the sides slope up and out something like a fan. If you follow the instructions of the expert quoted above, the rice will naturally assume a delicious-looking shape.

How about the topping? Long ago, spotted shad (kohada) was taken in large numbers from Edo Bay, but it only became prized after it was used as a sushi topping. It was a major factor in Edo-mae-zushi taking off in the first place. Sushi pros say this about spotted shad: “Preserve it with the right amount of salt, and marinate it with the right amount of vinegar.” Clean and fillet the fish, then sprinkle on salt and set the fillets aside. Later, wash off the salt with water, then rinse the fillets with plenty of niban vinegar, which contains traces of fat from spotted shad previously marinated in it. Then, place the pieces on top of each other, and apply enough pressure with your hands to gently squeeze out any excess vinegar. Set aside for a short while. During this part of the process, the fish will lose its “raw fish” smell. Use some fresh vinegar to marinate again, then place the pieces of fish around the inner sides of a bowl for at least one night, to let the vinegar drain off. How much salt and vinegar to use depends on the state of the fish, something an expert chef can judge by looking at it. If the salt and vinegar are used in the right quantities, the fatty succulence of the fish and the harmonious tasty balance of the rice and topping will make you think that spotted shad evolved in the ocean for one reason only—to be made into sushi!

From the above it is obvious that sushi does not necessarily mean raw fish on rice. Sometimes the seafood is simmered first, and this is the case with one seafood variety excellent for sushi, anago eel (common Japanese conger). After it is cleaned and slit open, eel pieces are arranged in a hikizaru basket⁴ made of woven strands of bamboo, and the basket with eel is lowered into the broth. A special anago broth is used, with sake, sugar and soy sauce added. Getting things right depends on the anago broth. If an inferior broth is used, the pieces of eel will absorb too much of the seasonings, and their fat will seep out into it, preventing any opportunity for a moist texture and delicious taste. After use, the broth is strained and stored in a refrigerator, to be used time and time again, with sake, sugar and soy sauce added each time. When apprentices leave a sushi shop to set up their own business, the master chef will often follow the old tradition of giving them some of the broth stock to use in their new establishment. Incidentally, before serving it to customers, the anago is brushed with a sauce made by taking some of the broth, adding more sugar, soy sauce and mirin (a sweet sake), and simmering it until it is quite thick.

A special omelet is also made for authentic Edo-mae-zushi. The beaten egg contains minced ingredients that differ according to the chef’s preferences—common ones include round clam adductor muscles, prawn, and white fish. The result is quite different from what you would expect an omelet or dashi-maki rolled egg to be—it is more like a high-quality castella cake,⁵ a dessert and sushi at the same time.

Any discussion of Edo-mae nigiri-zushi should also mention a chic topping called oboro. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer shops are making it these days. Minced prawn is mixed with sugar, mirin and a little salt, then heated well in a pot without oil. One way to serve oboro is to place it under a topping of fish called kisu (Japanese blackish halfbeak) that has been salted and vinegared. Another way is to roll it with kampyo gourd strips⁶ in a nori-maki roll. Oboro is sweet and light and melts in the mouth, offering a taste that is rich yet subtle at the same time.

The taste and texture of the sushi rice will determine how good the nigiri-zushi is, so it must be prepared with care. Steamed rice is placed in a small wooden tub (above left), then a special vinegar mix (below left) unique to this shop is mixed in. The mix includes rice vinegar, red vinegar and salt. The rice is turned over with a shamoji scoop to fold in the vinegar mix evenly, using light motions to prevent the rice from becoming too sticky.