Posted on 05/24/2014 5:10:03 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Raw fish is sizzling hot right now.
Los Angeles has brand new bars devoted to an Italian style of raw fish, called crudo. President Obama kicked off his visit to Asia last month noshing nigiri at Jiro's famous sushi bar. And back in December, The New York Times named Sushi Nakawaza as its top restaurant of the year.
But why do so many of us find utter bliss in eating raw sea creatures but aren't so inclined to chow down on uncooked birds, cows or pigs?
A big part of it is gravity — or the effective lack of it in the ocean, says biophysicist Ole Mouritsen, author of Sushi: Food for the Eye, the Body and the Soul.
A feast for the eyes and the mouth. Tuna swim long distances, but their muscles are still soft and tender.i A feast for the eyes and the mouth. Tuna swim long distances, but their muscles are still soft and tender.
Kyodo /Landov "Fish are so soft. You can stick your finger through their muscles," he says. "Try doing that with a chicken or cow. Fish muscle is very different than that in land animals."
Why? Because fish can afford to be lazier than terrestrial animals. Fish essentially float all the time. So their muscles don't work constantly to fight gravity.
"Fish don't have to support their body weight," Mouritsen says, "so their muscle fibers are shorter and less tough than those in land animals." The same goes for the connective tissue holding the muscle fibers together: It's delicate and weak.
The result? Fish has a silky, smooth texture when it's raw, and a flaky, light texture when it's cooked.
By contrast, "Land animals — like ourselves — are always working to keep themselves upright and keep their shape," Mouritsen says, so our muscle fibers are thicker, tougher and firmer.
The result is a ropy, chewy — and less appetizing — texture when the meat is raw. Cooking softens the connective tissue in meat and improves its texture (it also makes it juicy and flavorful).
In general, the more a muscle works, the tougher, more sinuous it gets, Mouritsen writes in his book. This idea explains why the belly of the tuna, known as otoro, is exceptionally soft: The belly of the fish is the laziest muscle of them all.
One fish, two fish, white fish, red fish: Muscles that depend on oxygen tend to be red, while those that don't are white. Salmon flesh is orange because of the food the fish eat.i One fish, two fish, white fish, red fish: Muscles that depend on oxygen tend to be red, while those that don't are white. Salmon flesh is orange because of the food the fish eat.
Kake/Flickr.com "In contrast, those muscles that are more active in a tuna, say the ones in its fins and tails, are a bit more chewier than other muscles," he says.
Under a microscope, fish, chicken and other meat muscles look similar, with long, parallel fibers, like ropes, stretched out and tied together.
But when you zoom in a little closer, the fish muscles look like the Kate Moss of the bunch: Their fibers are slimmer, shorter and more delicate than the others.
The muscle properties of fish also explain the rainbow of colors you see at a sushi bar.
"Fish that are constantly on the move — say, a tuna — have muscles that are always working and burning carbohydrates aerobically," Mouritsen says.
The muscles need oxygen to make energy. And the molecule that carries oxygen to muscle contains iron. Guess what color iron is in the fish? Red.
In contrast, fish that mostly hang out in one place or on the bottom of the ocean — say, for instance, flounder — have muscles that don't rely on oxygen to create energy. No oxygen means no iron to carry it, which means the muscles tend to be white. (Of course, most fish have a mixture of these two type of muscles and thus can look red, white or pink.)
So what about the pinkish-orange color of salmon? That's a special case, Mouritsen says.
"The coloring is due to what salmon eat: shellfish that are enriched with a pigment that's related to carotene in carrots, called astaxanthin."
This pigment creates the characteristic bluish-gray or green color of raw shrimp and crabs. The molecule turns bright pink or orange when the salmon eats the shellfish or we cook it.
That mahi sashimi sounds awesome…never had that. A couple months ago I did have the best tuna I’ve ever had, and I’ve had great tuna sashimi (tekka don) hundreds of times. The restauranteur who served it has been buying fresh seafood for 40 years, and said it was the most amazing fish he’s ever bought for his places. I can’t even describe how it tasted.
Sushi eels disappearing, due to over-eeling. (are they fish, or what?)
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/end-of-unagi-eel-sushi-15067415
There’s a fine, old sushi bar here, where I was introduced over two decades ago. It’s edible art, the flavors and textures are very distinctive. For the uninitiated, not all of it is raw. Go with someone who knows their way around the menu, order a few cooked or smoked examples like seared sashimi beef or Alaska Roll (smoked salmon). Slowly try a few other things. Good, fresh sushi-grade tuna is not fishy at all, it’s rather sweet in fact. That said, there are still a few places I won’t go, lol, most involving identifiable tentacles with suction cups still attached. Just cannot appreciate that and would just rather not even see it.
Unagi! Oshi oshi!
That’s for the tourists who really don’t know what real sushi/sashimi is like.
That’s for the tourists who really don’t know what real sushi/sashimi is like.
Sashimi is a style, it can be beef as well as fish.
The social aspect is important….and they way you feel after a meal of sashimi is incredible. There is a real sense that what you just ate was exactly what your body needed.
In South Korea they have a dish where they take a live Octopus, cut it up, and serve it with noodles still moving.
It takes the flavor of the sauce. You have to make sure and chew the suction cups well or they can stick to your throat.
I wouldn’t do well with that, not well at all.
Eating things raw that may have worms and other parasites....No thanks.
Get quality fish prepared by a good chef and its not an issue.
“It’s the Wassabi and soy sauce, I like it on raw beef too.”
Wassabi and soy sauce is ok, and adds to the sushi. I also like steak tartare, and would not want wassabi and soy sauce with my tartare. I have had it a couple ways, the normal, ground round with the enhancements, or as very thinly sliced beef filet, all uncooked, of course. Both are very good. When preparing a good piece of steak, I will sometimes cut a bit off and eat it, just the way it is before being cooked. And If someone wanted me to do a filet for them well done, I just couldn’t do it. I will not ruin an otherwise good piece of meat.
My wife’s not into rice, she took some “training” to make the leap from sashimi to sushi. Nori is kind of weird stuff, most of the rolls we get don’t have it.
Oh please. My son ate the raw heart out of a deer and he’s fine. Raw meat isn’t the end of the world.
Yep
Oh, it is good even if you love sushi/sashimi. Come on, deep fried cream cheese.
Eel Pie and Mash
http://britishfoodhistory.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/eel-pie-and-mash/
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