I know I tend to celebrate the more unique or intriguing local dishes that I find here in the SF Bay Area in my Cortex posts, but today I'm taking a differnt approach. Intead of talking about special food stuffs, I'm taking a look at some fresh fish you'd be able to find in just about any sushi spot out there. That's right, these are my top 5 pieces of sushi. There are a lot of really great specialty rolls out there, but a lot of those tend to vary from spot to spot. For instance, a Dragon Roll at one restaurant could be completely different at another. With that in mind, I decided to stick with more traditional pieces that you can find just about anywhere.
5. California Roll
Look, I know what you're thinking, this is sort of a cop out. But check it, when was the last time you went out for sushi and didn't get a CA roll? A lot of times this oh so generic staple is the barometer for whether or not you're about to enjoy the rest of your meal. Sure, imitation crab isn't good for you, but that's how it is for most stuff you enjoy in life, right?
4. Tekka Maki
Another very common roll that's nothing more than tuna and rice rolled in seaweed. I know there's not a lot going on here, but there's just something about this trifecta of ingredients that's pleasing to the palette. Another staple that I tend to order all the time.
3. Garlic Albacore hand roll
Not all rolls are just cut-up toobs of uncooked fish meat. Sometimes they come wrapped more like a little seaweed pita. And that's how I like to eat my garlic albacore sushi. I honestly don't know if there's a real flavor difference eating it this way, it's just nice to switch things up a little bit now and then. The garlic compliments the saltiness of the fish with some of its spiciness and gives each bite a nice profile.
2. Unagi/Eel
I love the taste of eel so much that I named one of my bands Unagi. True story. Not only do I love the way it tastes and the fact that it has its own special sauce, but it's just so friggin' cool to eat an eel! Those things look nutso! They're basically the snakes of the sea. I don't know if it technically counts as sushi because it's cooked, but whatever. If you have an issue with it, you can make your own sushi list.
1. Saba/Mackerel
I hands-down love evrything about a nice cut of mackerel. It's one of the few pieces where the skin is still on the cut, which gives it a nice, silver glow that entices your eyes before it even gets anywhere near your mouth. The consistency is a bit more coarse than salmon or tuna, but a good piece almost melts in your mouth. And I don't know how else to say it, but it tastes like the ocean. It's just got a brineyness to it that I don't get from other fish that really drives home its flavor profile for me.
Well, there you have it, these are just some of my personal favorite cuts. Do you have a go-to sushi order? Do you detest fish? Let me know what's up in the comments!
