# Just wondering if anyone knows how to prepare sashimi **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185 "2003-06-02T18:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185/21 "2003-06-03T13:02:29Z")
_Frozen_ fish? Feh, if it wasn’t swimming this morning I ain’t eating it. 😉 And powdered wasabi, _powdered_ wasabi: double, nay, triple feh! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > **Nearly all Japanese would laugh derisively at such a glaring _faux pas_ but that’s the way I like it and that’s that.[/list]** Actually, most Japanese don’t care. [sub]Well, you know, you nitpick where you can…[/sub] That being said, there’s not much left to say after **Zenster** has stormed the place. So, I will reiterate a point that I think many people take for granted and is very, very, very important: slicing. Not only should you not use anything short of razor-sharp, you need to have the proper technique. Too many people make a “pushing down” motion when slicing with a knife. Sashimi knives are very long and that’s in order to facilitate a _horizontal_ motion. You should exert a minimum of downward pressure on your fish. This will not only make your fish look nicer, it will also _taste_ better, as **Zenster** mentioned. Oh, and don’t wash the fish in water, it’ll lose a lot of flavour. Second, as much of a food snob as I am, I think going with stock dashi is best for the beginner. Basic dashi only has three ingredients: water, bonito flakes, and konbu seaweed; however, making a good dashi is much, much harder than it seems. Plus, bonito flakes cost a fortune in Canada. Well, eastern Canada. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185/22 "2003-06-03T14:35:17Z")
I, too, worried about the quality of the fish. Costco doesn’t sell frozen fish so I figure it was moving less than a day before (I only buy fish packed that day). Also, Wasabi kills bacteria (or that’s what us Japanese kids have been told) so I just slather that stuff on (paste for me only please). I love sashimi but I can’t tell the difference between what I make and what my local resturants make. I can’t wait until my dad comes back from his out-of-province work. He’s a licensed sushi chief. He’d probably smack me if I showed his how I’ve been eating sashimi 😃 ---
**Author:** ![\_baby\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7feea3/32.png) [@\_baby\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_baby_cat)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185/23 "2003-06-03T14:47:22Z")
hahaha just eating the whole slab of salom huh??? lol luck you ur dad is a licensed sushi chef you can enjoy all the goodies. wasabi is hot, but my friend said if you dont breathe or something when you eat it it wont be hot. badmana you ever tried the marble soda pop? its japanese and i tried it once in a sushi bar, you got a glass bottle with a marble innit. also is there grilled eel and rice at costco ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185/24 "2003-06-03T15:10:00Z")
Since this is about cooking–er, since this is about preparing food, I’ll move this thread to Cafe Society. bibliophage moderator GQ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-wondering-if-anyone-knows-how-to-prepare-sashimi/179185.md?page=1)