You See What I See, and I See Sushi
Last night we had sushi for dinner.
Normally, that would entail the hour-plus drive up to our favorite sushi restaurant in Durham.
Last night, however, it involved me making a trip to a grocery store and an Asian market, and then slaving over a hot stove, rice cooker, and cutting board to create the various appropriate sushi roll accoutrements, after which we could assemble them into lovely (mostly), bite-sized (mostly), tasty (always) morsels.
One of our rolls had spicy sauce…
Sashimi-grade tuna…
Imitation crab…
And cucumber.
Then we rolled it on up…
And cut it into nice, purty pieces.
Okay, so maybe they weren’t too purty.
(The messily-rolled roll pictured above contains avocado, smoked salmon, and… BACON!)
But when you drizzle them with homemade eel sauce (which, much to my disdain, contains no eel parts whatsoever)…
And lovingly sprinkle them with decadent black sesame seeds…
No one really seems to care.
Until it’s time to clean up.
(Photo taken with camera phone.)
Comments
Wow. I’m so impressed that you made sushi – it’s not easy! Kudos for doing such a great job! It may not be “purty”, but it’s all about how it tastes and it looks like it tasted delicious.
I had sushi last night as well, however, I placed an order over the Internet and had it delivered to me in less than 30 mins. Not as impressive ;)
Maybe not as impressive, but what I wouldn’t give to be able to do that!! Ours were very good, but man… I’d definitely pay to have it delivered to my door. :)
I still can’t believe you guys cook the way you do! Maybe not too pretty – but next time I’ll bet it will be perfect! Taste is all that matters. My excuse for not making it – I hate sushi!
What??? Maybe you haven’t had good sushi. What’s not to like about one of the rolls above, for example? Rice with a bit of a sweet sauce, seaweed (which is tasteless), smoked salmon, bacon and avocado? I know you like all those things!! :)
That looks delish! Did you cut the rolls/rice in 1/2? The assembly pics seems like you have only 1/2 the rice/paper than when we made them… that would reduce much of the carbs w/out reducing the filling. Do tell.
Yep, I cut the seaweed in half. Although, as you can see, you have to be careful about how much filling you use. Our rolling skills are sub-par, so that combined with over-stuffing leads to sushi seams that are prone to opening when you slice ’em. ;)
Also, do you put the “su” in with the rice? I noticed you didn’t make any inside out rolls, but wasn’t sure if you were able to get the ingredients for the su in Costa Rica, which holds the rice together much better and gives it a nice sweet flavor.
Wow! Very impressive! I thought I was an adventurous cook, but I’ve never made my own sushi. It’s just easier to pick it up or have it delivered(we have a local Japanese restaurant that has delivery service.) Yours look terrific! Adding bacon for the saltiness is sheer genius. Thanks for sharing.
Definitely easier (and cleaner!) to have it delivered. :) Though it is kind of nice to be able to put whatever we want inside – like bacon. I can’t take credit for that, though – My next post will reveal my secret source for all things sushi!
I’ve only had sushi from Costco! These look so delicious.
I am definitely a cook who is better at producing taste not appearance. These look purty to me!
If you ever get the chance to go to a nice sushi restaurant, you should definitely try it! I’m sure the Costco stuff is tasty, but it’s when they start getting all fancy with crab toppings, shrimp tempura, even thinly-sliced seared beef on top – THAT’S when it truly becomes drool-worthy. ;)
Wow, these look delicious! And great pictures, too. I like the one with the dog in the background. I don’t have to drive too far for sushi…and this seems like soooo much work for me :). I think I’ll stick to restaurant sushi and live vicariously through you :)
I wish I lived closer to some sushi. It’s definitely a lot of work to make, but it’s kind of fun, too! (When I’m not getting frustrated because they’re falling apart.) Might be a fun party/social gathering idea…
Looks yummy! I don’t cook at all. I would actually like to… but cooking alone just isn’t going to happen. I need someone to either cook with me or someone to cook for to motivate me…
But if you practice before you find that person, you’ll have something to impress him with when you do meet him! :) I still cook for myself (though not as frequently) when Justin’s traipsing around the world. It can be therapeutic, and coworkers/neighbors always appreciate it when you bring them your leftovers. ;)
I have to agree with Internationalwomanofmystery I have my culinary arts veryyy rarely do I cook like you sandwiches, or stuff that I can boil nuke or bake lol but i have to admit you do make yummy lookin food
Well, then you should let me inspire you to try more! There’s nothing wrong with cooking for one – I still do it when Justin’s out of town! Leftovers can be fantastic, and I’m sure you have friends/family who wouldn’t mind the occasional give-a-way! :) I’m telling you – it’s therapeutic. Even when I mess up.