I'm planning a sushi dinner party for my birthday in a month and I'm trying to do research on where to get my ingredients and supplies.
I'm finding that trying to find "sushi grade" fish is the hardest thing to do, and the only place that I can find anything where the person working the deli knows what they are doing is at Whole Foods. But their price for their salmon and tuna is really high.
In doing research to see what sushi grade really means (and searching here on Seasoned Advice) is that it just needs to be Frozen at -20° C (-4° F) for 7 days.
I found this pre-sliced, pre-packaged smoked salmon at my local grocery store: http://www.vitafoodproducts.com/p-315-vita-wild-nova-salmon.aspx
I asked the guy at the deli and he didn't know if it would be considered sushi grade or not. But from what I'm reading, I don't see why I couldn't just freeze the fish in my own freezer for a week or so before my event.
Is this not the case? Should I invest the money on getting already-confirmed sushi grade fish?
Best Answer
I have done several sushi dinners at home: a lot of fun and also a giant saving! One thing that you need to consider is the amount of fish, sushi recipes call for small amounts and so, even if you are preparing straight sashimi, I found that as 'little' as two pound of fish will 'force feed' a team of 6-8 hungry adults. Wish sushi grade fish you obviously don't want to do it wrong and get sick, so I suggest you stay away from home sanitized cuts. The problem is not only the extended frozen period, but also the way the fish has been handled from the moment it's caught. After searching and talking to the best restaurants in San Diego, I found that http://www.catalinaop.com is one of the best suppliers available. I was lucky enough to be able to swing by their warehouse and avoid the shipping cost, but they offer next day delivery at a reasonable price. The quality and variety is outstanding and they are specialists that will answer every single question! Make it special! :)
Hope it helps :)