OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Yaohan in San Jose
Murawa in San Francisco
Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley (on San Pablo)
Yaoyo San, in Berkeley/El Cerrito (further north on San Pablo)

Any opinions on these places, and/or other suggestions.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Thanks for any help.

On 3 Jan 2004 03:50:59 -0800, (Christopher)
wrote:

OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

I use sushifoods.com. They're in CA, but I'm not sure how far they are
from you. I've always had excellent seafood from them. All they do is
sashimi-grade seafood.

It's also possible to get great fresh seafood from an excellent fish
market, although the catch is that unless you're buying a whole fish
and can see it and smell it, touch it, and trust them to tell you
where it actually came from and when, you're pretty much running
blind.

I don't really know how you could judge a filet or part of a filet in
the store, since it's already way too far gone for sushi by the time
it starts to smell or look funky.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

The salmon has always been excellent.

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish?

The fish should be covered in ice, or in a cold refrigerator from the
time it leaves the water until it enters your mouth. Once you get it,
you can portion, package and freeze it until you want to use it.

can it be frozen?

Absolutely.

I use a food-saver vacuum packer.It seems to stay fresh much longer
and doesn't get freezer burn. Part of this is because the food-saver
removes the air, and part is because the bags are three layers thick
and do a better job of protecting the food.

If you don't mind looking around for a while, I found my food-saver at
a garage sale for $5.

I don't have any sushi-making instructions done yet, but I've got a
great rice recipe on my website at http://www.bupkis.org

Terry

Christopher wrote:

OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old


I'm sure you can find plenty of Asian markets with sashimi fish in
Japantown, SF.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...


Me too, one of my top favorites. I had some excellent salmon the
other day, so rich and soft.


Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Use it as soon as you buy it, don't keep it for more than 3-5 days
in the fridge. You can freeze it for long term storage, but I would
recommend a vac-sealer for that.

Do not use Pacific salmon raw, only Atlantic (farm raised) for sushi.
If it smells fishy, it's not fresh. Only sal****er fish can be used
raw, otherwise it must be cooked, like unagi.

Hope that helps.

--
Dan

"Christopher" wrote in message
om...
OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Costco here in the South Bay sells ahi for $8.99/lb. I've been eating it as
sashimi and in poke almost weekly the past year. It's cut fresh every day.

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish?

1. Google a.f.s for "anisakis" which is mentioned in most of the
threads dealing with the safety of raw fish (now including this
thread). Anisakis is a worm that is sometimes found in salmon
and, although rare, is probably the most common pathogen
associated with sushi and ceviche related illness.

2. In those posts you will find links to the FDA, UCSD and some
other sites with reliable information on raw fish.

3. The title of your post ("Sashimi grade") implies that you are
getting fish from reliable sushi fish mongers and not the fish
section of your local supermarket so you're a step ahead of
many others on that note.

4. Some current replies have mentioned freezing fish in vacuum
sealed bags in home freezers. See earlier threads for home
freezing using dry ice or liquid nitrogen to better preserve the
freshness of the best fish.






--
Sent by xanadoof from yahoo in area com
This is a spam protected message. Please answer with reference header.
Posted via http://www.usenet-replayer.com

Thanks for the input.

ok, so I tried the Salmon (labeled for sushi) and Maguro (labeled sashimi)
from Yaoyo San. AWESOME almost no smell (smelled like good sashimi, not
fishy--yehaw)

I'm excited about the vacuum sealing, I actually got a food-saver for
Christmas... imagine that

Terry, I checked out SushiFoods.com, and it looks pretty good, certainly for
the salmon, as long as I buy a ton of it like... 7 lbs min. (
yummy... I could eat for a week... ok ok, maybe 3-4 days... hehe) the nori
there is REALLY expensive though. I was surprised at that.

I think, at least, until I'm confident in the freezing process... I'll stick
to my local guys.

A note about how to care for the salmon from sushifoods.com...
"Due to the high quality of fresh farm raised salmon, many restaurants do
not cure the salmon. However, it is always a good idea to cure salmon before
consuming uncooked. Salmon is part fresh water fish and therefore can be
susceptible to parasites. Fresh salmon can be cured by salting, freezing or
a combination. Apply a generous layer of salt to the salmon half fish or cut
pieces. Allow to cure in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
Freeze or eat after curing. Freezing portioned salmon will also cure." -
SushiFoods.com

sounds good too me.

to all my new sushi friends

Sushi ya later




"Christopher" wrote in message
om...
OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Yaohan in San Jose
Murawa in San Francisco
Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley (on San Pablo)
Yaoyo San, in Berkeley/El Cerrito (further north on San Pablo)

Any opinions on these places, and/or other suggestions.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Thanks for any help.

Christopher wrote:

Thanks for the input.

ok, so I tried the Salmon (labeled for sushi) and Maguro (labeled sashimi)
from Yaoyo San. AWESOME almost no smell (smelled like good sashimi, not
fishy--yehaw)


Cool. Any hamachi?


I'm excited about the vacuum sealing, I actually got a food-saver for
Christmas... imagine that


Sweet! But the rolls of material and not the pre-cut bags, you can cut
them to fit whatever you want. One suggestion is to double seal the bag
at each end. I've had a couple of single sealed bags loose their vacuum
and fill with air. I love him, use it often for bulk meats to be
frozen.


Terry, I checked out SushiFoods.com, and it looks pretty good, certainly for
the salmon, as long as I buy a ton of it like... 7 lbs min. (
yummy... I could eat for a week... ok ok, maybe 3-4 days... hehe) the nori
there is REALLY expensive though. I was surprised at that.


It works best if you order with others, lke a group of people so the
shipping costs are shared. I can get a good amount of items locally,
but I would use them for special items.


I think, at least, until I'm confident in the freezing process... I'll stick
to my local guys.


It's no big deal if the fish is already sushi grade. But practice with
the food-saver on chicken or beef first. You'll get the feel for it
pretty quickly.

A note about how to care for the salmon from sushifoods.com...
"Due to the high quality of fresh farm raised salmon, many restaurants do
not cure the salmon. However, it is always a good idea to cure salmon before
consuming uncooked.


The parasitic issue with salmon is only really for Pacific salmon, due
to the large number of mammalian contact they have in open waters.
If the salmon is Atlantic (farm raised), it's not a problem and you
don't need to cure. I never cure mine.


to all my new sushi friends

Sushi ya later

Have fun.

--
Dan

"Dan Logcher" wrote in message
...
Christopher wrote:

Thanks for the input.

ok, so I tried the Salmon (labeled for sushi) and Maguro (labeled
sashimi)
from Yaoyo San. AWESOME almost no smell (smelled like good sashimi,
not
fishy--yehaw)


Cool. Any hamachi?

Didn't look for it (that's yellow-tail right?) I will look next time.



I'm excited about the vacuum sealing, I actually got a food-saver for
Christmas... imagine that


Sweet! But the rolls of material and not the pre-cut bags, you can cut
them to fit whatever you want. One suggestion is to double seal the bag
at each end. I've had a couple of single sealed bags loose their vacuum
and fill with air. I love him, use it often for bulk meats to be
frozen.


Yep... costco sells a box with like... 6 rolls of the stuff for $40. I
haven't found better. I've seen the individual rolls for 10, so seems like
a good deal.


Terry, I checked out SushiFoods.com, and it looks pretty good, certainly
for
the salmon, as long as I buy a ton of it like... 7 lbs min. (
yummy... I could eat for a week... ok ok, maybe 3-4 days... hehe) the
nori
there is REALLY expensive though. I was surprised at that.


It works best if you order with others, lke a group of people so the
shipping costs are shared. I can get a good amount of items locally,
but I would use them for special items.



you're on the east coast right? hehe

I think, at least, until I'm confident in the freezing process... I'll
stick
to my local guys.


It's no big deal if the fish is already sushi grade. But practice with
the food-saver on chicken or beef first. You'll get the feel for it
pretty quickly.

A note about how to care for the salmon from sushifoods.com...
"Due to the high quality of fresh farm raised salmon, many restaurants
do
not cure the salmon. However, it is always a good idea to cure salmon
before
consuming uncooked.


The parasitic issue with salmon is only really for Pacific salmon, due
to the large number of mammalian contact they have in open waters.
If the salmon is Atlantic (farm raised), it's not a problem and you
don't need to cure. I never cure mine.


Cool... I probably won't either, although I've had some salmon that was
lightly salted... it's nice. Not like the smoked stuff... just a hint. But
good to know that it's not probably necessary for farm raised stuff.


to all my new sushi friends

Sushi ya later

Have fun.


Will do!

--
Dan

Christopher wrote:

"Dan Logcher" wrote in message
...


Cool. Any hamachi?


Didn't look for it (that's yellow-tail right?) I will look next time.


Yes, yellowtail.

Yep... costco sells a box with like... 6 rolls of the stuff for $40. I
haven't found better. I've seen the individual rolls for 10, so seems like
a good deal.


Sounds like a good deal.

It works best if you order with others, lke a group of people so the
shipping costs are shared. I can get a good amount of items locally,
but I would use them for special items.

you're on the east coast right? hehe


Yes I am. But I haven't found an easy way to get items like kohada,
iwashi, aji, and such. Asian markets seem to only maguro, sake, hamachi,
hirame, ikura, masago, and uni.

The parasitic issue with salmon is only really for Pacific salmon, due
to the large number of mammalian contact they have in open waters.
If the salmon is Atlantic (farm raised), it's not a problem and you
don't need to cure. I never cure mine.

Cool... I probably won't either, although I've had some salmon that was
lightly salted... it's nice. Not like the smoked stuff... just a hint. But
good to know that it's not probably necessary for farm raised stuff.

Yeah, I've had some that were cured with salt then sweeted a bit with
sugar when I was in CA. I prefer it raw, straight up.

--
Dan

Berkeley Bowl's fish market has good, fresh sushi-grade maguro and other
assorted sushi fish. Not sure about salmon.


"Christopher" wrote in message
om...
OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Yaohan in San Jose
Murawa in San Francisco
Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley (on San Pablo)
Yaoyo San, in Berkeley/El Cerrito (further north on San Pablo)

Any opinions on these places, and/or other suggestions.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Thanks for any help.

Yep... looked there, and they have a descent assortment of s.g.fish but...
unfortunately (and I asked) they don't ever carry s.g. salmon.

but their s.g. fish is in it's own case, and they do have quite a bit, for a
local market.

V... what part of the bay do you hail from? Perhaps you'd be interested in
ordering some fish from sushifoods.com?

I saw your post about the disgusting rag roll.... yuck! sorry to hear
about that... really sorry.

Cheers

"V. Stafford" wrote in message
m...
Berkeley Bowl's fish market has good, fresh sushi-grade maguro and other
assorted sushi fish. Not sure about salmon.


"Christopher" wrote in message
om...
OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Yaohan in San Jose
Murawa in San Francisco
Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley (on San Pablo)
Yaoyo San, in Berkeley/El Cerrito (further north on San Pablo)

Any opinions on these places, and/or other suggestions.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Thanks for any help.

"Christopher" wrote in message
...

ok, so I tried the Salmon (labeled for sushi) and Maguro (labeled sashimi)
from Yaoyo San. AWESOME almost no smell (smelled like good sashimi,
not
fishy--yehaw)

Atlantic salmon used for sushi is identical to that found in your local
supermarket. Same distribution chain. Larger salmon = larger filets more
suitable for use at a sushi bar are more expensive but you can find
reasonably priced salmon cut from smaller fish at Costco; the downside is
you end up with the whole filet, including the tail - useless for
sashimi/sushi. The key with salmon is freshness . . . any high volume
retail sales outlet should have very fresh Atlantic salmon at a cost much
less than lower volume "labeled for sushi" outlets.

Cheers!

I looked at sushifoods.com, I don't know about frozen fish.... I live in
Oakland, but to buy sushi, I go to Berkeley Bowl or to those two grocery
stores in S.F. Japantown. I am sure I have seen the salmon in Japantown.

Thanks for the sympathy on the rag trauma. It was an unforgettable
experience, and it will always leave me wondering what in the world that
"chef" was thinking.

By the way, we enjoyed an excellent sushi dinner last night at Angel Fish in
Alameda. We've been there a few times now and it is consistently top-notch.
The owner used to be a chef at Kirala in Berkeley. They recently expanded
to include a nicely decorated table area.

Victoria


"Christopher" wrote in message
...
Yep... looked there, and they have a descent assortment of s.g.fish but...
unfortunately (and I asked) they don't ever carry s.g. salmon.

but their s.g. fish is in it's own case, and they do have quite a bit, for
a
local market.

V... what part of the bay do you hail from? Perhaps you'd be interested in
ordering some fish from sushifoods.com?

I saw your post about the disgusting rag roll.... yuck! sorry to hear
about that... really sorry.

Cheers

"V. Stafford" wrote in message
m...
Berkeley Bowl's fish market has good, fresh sushi-grade maguro and other
assorted sushi fish. Not sure about salmon.


"Christopher" wrote in message
om...
OK, I've browsed through the messages and it looks like these are the
ones that come up a lot. But they are also mostly from posts 7-10
years old

Yaohan in San Jose
Murawa in San Francisco
Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley (on San Pablo)
Yaoyo San, in Berkeley/El Cerrito (further north on San Pablo)

Any opinions on these places, and/or other suggestions.

I am new to making sushi myself. My absolute favorite is sake....
NON-SMOKED, raw salmon. It is heaven to me, and I'd love to be able
to eat it ALL THE TIME...

Also, any tips on safety with the raw fish are much appreciated. I
know you're supposed to keep it cold, and serve soon after buying it.
but tips, like... should I use a cooler, and ice to transport the
fish? can it be frozen? please forgive these possibly ignorant
questions, but... I am new to this, and will, over time, learn.

Thanks for any help.

"V. Stafford" wrote:

I looked at sushifoods.com, I don't know about frozen fish.... I live in
Oakland, but to buy sushi, I go to Berkeley Bowl or to those two grocery
stores in S.F. Japantown. I am sure I have seen the salmon in Japantown.
Little late to the discussion, but Diablo Oriental Food Mart on Main
in Pleasant Hill / Walnut Creek has a good assortment of fish, but
usually not salmon. I live in Orinda so kind of between Berkekey Bowl
and Diablo. They have a good assortment of other stuff.

Gene

how come people don't carry salmon?

"..." ...@ wrote in message
...
"V. Stafford" wrote:

I looked at sushifoods.com, I don't know about frozen fish.... I live in
Oakland, but to buy sushi, I go to Berkeley Bowl or to those two grocery
stores in S.F. Japantown. I am sure I have seen the salmon in Japantown.
Little late to the discussion, but Diablo Oriental Food Mart on Main
in Pleasant Hill / Walnut Creek has a good assortment of fish, but
usually not salmon. I live in Orinda so kind of between Berkekey Bowl
and Diablo. They have a good assortment of other stuff.

Gene