Food Pic of the Day™: Sushi Class 101! Spider Crab, Double Shrimp, & Salmon Crunch Maki

Now this is what I call dinner! Spider Crab Roll, Double Shrimp Roll, and Salmon Super Crunch Rolls. On the side is a generous heaping of Wasabi and, of course, Pickled Ginger.

Say, you're not a Sushi expert and you are too lazy to look it all up in Wikipedia? That's ok, I'll go over some of the finer points (from the wiki :) on this dish so you won't feel left out when your hip friends order some.

First of all, in Japanese cuisine, "Sushi" means vinegar rice. It doesn't mean raw fish, contrary to what most in the west believe. Yes, you can put fish on top of it and roll some up in it, (as well as vegetables and other things) but "sushi" refers to the vinegar rice.

When you take sushi (the rice part, remember) and roll it up either inside or outside a sheet of Nori (dried sheet of seaweed) you end up with a Makizushi, or "Maki". Since what we have pictured above are rolls, you can call them Spider Crab Maki, Double Shirmp Maki, and Super Crunch Maki.

Notice there are two types of Maki above: rolled with the rice on the outside and rolled with rice on the inside. When you hide the nori on the inside that's called Uramaki, or "inside-out roll". A lot of westernized sushi have the rice on the outside (uramaki) hiding the seaweed on the inside. Oftentimes, this is done so westerners won't have to see the seaweed (wimps!).

Did you learn anything new? Good.

Now, what's with the glob of day-glo green stuff? Let's go back to Wikipedia once more.. Wasabi is "Japanese horseradish". A lot of "wasabi" you'll find in western restaurants isn't pure or real wasabi, but is a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring. The result is similar though - that sudden lighting-like hotness that clears your sinuses and makes your eyes water. You can also mix it with some soy sauce to create a dipping sauce known as wasabi-joyu. However you use it, don't let this stuff go to waste, it's there for a reason, so try it and love it. Don't be a wimp!

Great, so what's the pink pile of thin stuff? Pickled ginger. Don't worry, it won't burn through you like the wasabi. It's sweet and thinly sliced. Contrary to what most people do with it, it is meant to be eaten between servings of sushi - not to put on top of them! It is supposed to cleanse the palate and get it ready for the next sushi. I guess we've grown accustomed to just putting it on top of sushi and eating it all in one mouthful. Next time, try it as it was meant to be: between sushi servings. Your hip friends will think you're weird, but it is they who will be the weird ones.

Class dismissed!