SEATTLE — I was ignorant about sushi until I visited Mashiko in West Seattle.
Sure, I've eaten sushi many a time. But it wasn't until I sat down with Hajime Sato, owner and chef at Mashiko, that I realized I was merely a babe in the woods.
For some background, Mashiko opened in 1994. The restaurant went sustainable in 2009- that means Hajime chooses not to serve endangered seafood. Many sushi restaurants are not sustainable, and actively choose to serve endangered species. Eel, Bluefin tuna, and Atlantic salmon are just some of the affected types of fish.
Now, let's talk about soy sauce.
That was probably the number one thing I learned at Mashiko. While Hajime doesn't consider soy sauce evil incarnate, he does believe people use way too much of it. If every single bite of sushi tastes exactly the same- aka, like salt- you might be using too much soy sauce.
Instead, Hajime recommends gently tapping your sushi and sashimi in your soy sauce. And instead of mixing wasabi in your soy sauce, something I'm guilty of, he says it's better to use a little bit of it separately from the sauce- especially on sashimi.
As for nigiri, Mashiko serves it with sauce already on it- so, no need for soy sauce there. With nigiri, it's not just what you eat it with- it's how you eat it. Hajime recommends turning the nigiri upside down, with the fish on the bottom, to eat it. That way, you taste the sauce and fish first, rather than the sushi rice.
Nigiri can be eaten with your hands, rather than chopsticks, as can sushi rolls with seaweed on the outside. Sashimi is eaten with chopsticks, as are most sushi rolls.
Much of what you've read so far are suggestions, per Hajime. But the one thing he says you should never do is put ginger on your sushi when you eat it. That is a direct insult to the sushi chef, insinuating that you find their sushi flavorless. Instead, use the ginger to cleanse your palate and help digest your food at the end of a meal.
There's so much to learn about sushi- so I suggest visiting Mashiko and expanding your education with an amazing sushi dinner. Hajime suggests sitting at the sushi counter to watch the action and chat with the chefs. You won't be disappointed.
Mashiko | 4725 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 | 206-935-4339
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