Are you thinking about making some sushi but aren’t sure how to prepare the fish for it?
Sushi is not only delicious, but it’s also extremely healthy. Sushi is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s low-fat, low-calorie, and high-protein, so it can also help you maintain a healthy weight.
While preparing sushi may seem easy, it’s slightly harder than it looks. Read this guide to learn how to prepare tuna for sushi.
Get the Right Kind of Tuna
When a sushi recipe calls for tuna, it’s typically not calling for a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna. Usually, sushi tuna is Maguro tuna, which is tuna with red flesh. There are three primary types of Maguro used for sushi. These include bigeye, bluefin, and yellowfin.
In the United States (and sometimes in Japan), albacore tuna is often used for sushi, as it’s more affordable and readily available. It’s very unlikely that you’ll see a whole tuna for sale at a grocery store in the US. Instead, you’ll likely be sold a cut of tuna. You can speak with the butcher or the person working at the deli about the best cut of tuna for your sushi.
Cut the Tuna Into Thin Slices
Once you have the tuna, it’s time to cut it into thin slices to make your sushi. While you can make rolled sushi with your tuna, the most common way to enjoy tuna in Japanese culture is by making nigiri.
Nigir refers to a small mound of rice that’s smeared with wasabi and topped with raw fish. The Japanese make nigiri using all different kinds of seafood. Other common types of seafood used to make nigiri include mackerel, eel, clam, and salmon.
To cut your sushi to make nigiri, you’ll want to cut against the grain at about a 30-degree angle. Each slice should be about 1/4-inch thick. The most difficult part of cutting the tuna is figuring out how thick each slice should be.
The thickness/thinness of the slice can have a dramatic impact on the flavor of your nigiri. If you cut the meat too thin, you’ll lose out on the tuna flavor. If it’s too thick, the tuna flavor might be overwhelming. We recommend you do some experimenting with the thickness of your cuts so you can find the right flavor profile.
Also, make sure you’re pulling your knife backward instead of pushing it forward when cutting, as this will make the tuna easier to slice.
Make the Nigiri
Once you’ve sliced the tuna, it’s time to assemble the nigiri. To do this, you’ll first need to make the sushi rice.
Making Sushi Rice
Sushi rice is Japanese short-grain rice that’s used to make sushi and other rice-based dishes. Sushi rice is available at most grocery stores. To cook the rice, just follow the instructions on the package. Once cooked, transfer the rice to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly.
When it’s still very warm, you can add in the sushi vinegar. Sushi vinegar adds flavor to the nigiri and helps the rice to stick together. You can buy sushi vinegar at the store, or you can make your own. To make sushi vinegar at home, combine 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar with one 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Typically, you’ll want to add one tablespoon of sushi vinegar for every cup of sushi rice.
Shape the Rice and Assemble the Nigiri
Once the rice has cooled a bit and you’ve added your vinegar, it’s time to shape the rice and assemble the nigiri. To shape the rice, grab about three tablespoons of rice and squeeze it together until it forms a log shape.
Try to make the bottom of the rice mound flat and the top slightly rounded. Be careful not to squeeze the rice too tight, as it should contain a bit of air in it. Once you’ve shaped the rice, swipe a small portion of wasabi across a slice of tuna.
Then, place the rice mound onto the tuna and press the two together so they stick. Flip the nigiri over so the tuna is sitting on top. Repeat this process until you have the desired amount of nigiri.
Once finished, you can serve your nigiri with soy sauce, pickled ginger sauce, or more wasabi. You can also follow these steps to make toro sushi.
Make a Tuna Roll
As an alternative to nigiri, you can make a tuna roll using nori sheets. To do this, prep the sushi rice the same way you would for the nigiri.
Then, place a nori sheet shiny side down onto a bamboo rolling mat. Spread about 1/4 cup of rice onto the sheet. Then, wet your fingers slightly (this helps prevent the rice from sticking) and spread the rice out. Then, lay a long slice of tuna across the rice.
As you may have guessed, you’ll need to cut your tuna into longer strips to make a tuna roll. Then, grab the bamboo mat and start rolling. You want to make sure you roll it tight enough so the sushi rice feels tight, but not so tight that the tuna starts coming out of the sides.
Keep rolling until there’s just a bit of nori sheet left. Then, wet a sharp knife and slice the tuna roll in half. Then, slice it into bite-sized pieces.
Are You Ready to Prepare Tuna for Sushi?
Now that you know how to prepare tuna for sushi, it’s time to get started. While you probably won’t have Japanese-level sushi on your first try, as you get more practice, your sushi-making skills will start to improve.
Check back in with our blog for more sushi-making tips.