Research: Sushi Terms

I’m a full-blown sushi “fanatic”. I'm literally always in the mood for it, and will probably wander off for some as soon as I publish this entry. But even though I have a grand passion for sushi, its terminology can sometimes be a bit of a muddle. What better opportunity for some research? Hopefully, this can serve as a bit of a cheat sheet for all your sushi glossary needs. Grab your chopsticks and let’s dive in!

Sushi: Let’s start with the important one. We like to say “sushi” as a catch-all term for the style of cuisine we’re eating, but its precise definition is “cold, boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar”. Yep! Sushi is just rice! No fish required! That said, don’t let pedants drag you down with semantic hair-splitting. But if it’s just vinegared rice, then what the hell are most people thinking of when they picture sushi?

Sashimi: Sliced or prepared raw fish, without the sushi rice.

So what we think of as a piece of sushi is actually sushi and sashimi put together – generally with a dab of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) to glue them together. Ironically, this is the most common form of sushi you’ll see outside of Japan, and yet most people are unfamiliar with the term describing this combination: Nigiri-zushi. The other big category of sushi-eating is rolls vs. nigiri:

Maki: Sushi (and other ingredients) rolled up using a bamboo mat, and normally wrapped in nori (sheets of dried seaweed). The maki roll is then cut into several pieces and served. “Maki” is an extremely broad term, though. You can have futomaki (an enlarged maki), hosomaki (small, simple assemblies of maki, often with just one additional ingredient), temaki (hand rolls that are often served in a cone shape), and uramaki (medium-sized rolls with the nori on the inside).

Nigiri: A single piece of sliced fish with a molded ball of rice underneath. This is the shorthand term for “nigiri-zushi”, and is what most people picture when you say the word “sushi”. While there are some outstanding maki, there isn’t a lot of widely-accepted terminology. There’s some amount of agreement (spider rolls, California rolls, etc.), but restaurants can generally name their rolls whatever they wish. Nigiri is more standardized, and it’s where sushi can really shine, so let’s get into some specifics.

Pop Quiz: What will you get if you go to a sushi restaurant and ask for tuna? Sorry, I shouldn’t ask trick questions like that, because tuna is a world unto itself when it comes to sushi.

Otoro: Fatty tuna (from the belly, usually the most expensive type)
Ahi: Yellowfin tuna
Hamachi: Yellowtail tuna (not the same thing!)
Maguro: Big-eye tuna, not to be confused with…
Siro Maguro or Shiromaguro: White, albacore tuna – And just to confuse the issue even more, Kampai refers to a separate nigiri as “Albacore”, which is seared.

I could actually go on; in researching this post, I found honest-to-goodness flow charts attempting to categorize the various types of sushi tuna. The ones above should probably suffice for now, but if you’re interested in a deeper dive (no pun intended), poke around the internet.

There’s also the matter of roe, which is fish eggs. You can get various type of roe in sushi places, generally resting on a bed of sushi rice and wrapped in nori. As mentioned in the episode, salmon roe (Ikura) is my absolute favorite, but you can also usually find smelt roe (Masago – gathered from the capelin fish) and flying fish roe (Tobiko).

When people hear “fish eggs”, though, their mind generally goes to caviar, so is there a difference between that and roe? Of course there is! “Roe” refers to the fish eggs themselves, while “caviar” is roe that has been salted and tinned for storage and aging. Caviar also tends to come from sturgeon roe, which is not considered a sushi fish.

There are also a ton of other nigiri, and while it’s impossible to list them all here, I’ll leave you with a nice sampler platter. Go enjoy some!

Fugu: Puffer fish – A delicacy, but poisonous if not prepared properly.
Taco: Octopus
Saba: Mackerel (mentioned in the episode as speedily racing its way to the top of our list of favorites)
Anago: Salt-water eel
Unagi: Fresh-water eel – We recommended this one highly.
Uni: Sea urchin
Tamago: Egg omelet – A strange inclusion on a fish-based menu, but can be very good.
Ika: Squid
Kani: Crab
Hotate: Scallop
Ebi: Shrimp – Can also be served as Ama Ebi (sweet shrimp).
Mirugai: Giant clam – Also called “geoduck”, one of the ugliest creatures on the planet.
Hirame: Halibut

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Research: Crab Types

As a native of Maryland, I take crab meat very seriously. Then, when Kyle and I tucked into some shellfish at a local seafood restaurant, we realized that this was a good opportunity for some research. The kinds of crab that people enjoy can largely depend on the region and the season. Everyone has their own favorite, but a handful of crabs have clawed their way (zing!) onto a pretty solidified list of popular types.

There’s only one type of crab that has had a television show devoted to it, and it’s no surprise that it’s the Alaskan King Crab. These guys stand out not only because of their remarkable size and mellow flavor, but because fishing for Alaskan King Crab is one of the most dangerous professions there is (the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ranked crab fishing as having staggeringly higher fatality rates than pilots and loggers). For diners who don’t owe any taste or geographical loyalty to any particular type, Alaskan King is likely to be the crab that most people know and love.

Snow Crab is similar to King Crab. They’re both found in cold, northern oceans, and both are prepared and eaten in the same way. The claws are where it’s at, meat-wise. 80% of the snow crab eaten in the United States is imported from Canada, though it’s caught in other northern places like Greenland and Norway, too. If you’re at one of those all-you-can-eat crab leg buffets, chances are you’re chowing down on snow crab.

The Chesapeake Blue Crab is my favorite, and that’s the one I'm talking about whenever I get that faraway look in my eye and reminisce about Baltimore. I'm not only biased because that’s the crab I grew up with, but because it’s the most versatile of the crab meats. You can eat the hard-shelled ones steamed and covered in Old Bay seasoning. You can fry up the soft-shell type in flour and spices. Blue crab meat is perfect in crab cakes. Blue crab is rarer and more expensive than the larger crabs mentioned above, but they’re more than worth it for diners up and down the Eastern seaboard.

Over on the other size of the continent, you can find Kyle’s favorite, Dungeness Crab. Named after the port of Dungeness, Washington, a full one-fourth of this crab’s body is meat. Unlike other types, which have been fished down to dangerous population levels, Dungeness crab is abundant. A popular method of preparing them is “half-backing”. The crab is flipped upside-down and chopped in half lengthwise. This makes the guts and gills easier to scoop out, and the remainder can be quickly steamed or boiled. If you’re ever in San Francisco, make sure to get cioppino, chock full of Dungeness. You won’t be sorry.

Both the Chesapeake Blue and Dungeness crabs have meaty bodies, but we go back to the extremities for the crabs eaten in the Southeast, the omni-present Stone Crab. Stone crab claws are proportionately enormous to the rest of their bodies, to the point that it’s the only part of the crab that’s served. In addition to being caught in the Northern Atlantic Ocean, stone crabs are harvested from the salt marshes in South Carolina and Georgia. Going out for a seafood feast in Florida? Stone crab will be heavily featured. It doesn’t have as strong a flavor as other crabs, and is often dipped in a sauce.

Those are the main crab types, but just like in any food family, there are specialty niches. Red Rock Crab is related to Dungeness, but are smaller, and have a thicker shell. The claws of the Spider Crab are are spindly as their namesake, but their bodies have a nicely chunky, sweeter meat than other crabs.

The United States is far from the only country that is love with crabs, and Asian countries have their own preferences. The Horesehair Crab is about the ugliest one there is, but Japanese diners heartily enjoy them. The Chinese Mitten Crab is vicious and aggressive when alive, but once they’re steamed and served with ginger and vinegar, it’s one of the most popular dishes from China to Korea.

So no matter what your favorite type of crab is, there’s a multitude of flavors out there for you to enjoy. It makes us wonder why people call an ill-temper “being crabby”. Eating crab makes us pretty damned happy.

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Research: Seitan

Whether you’re an omnivore, a vegetarian, or a vegan, chances are you already know a fair bit about tofu. You may not like it, but at least you understand it. That’s not the case with another specific meat substitute. Seitan is a relative newcomer to the meatless scene – at least in America. So I thought it’d be the perfect subject to tackle with some deeper scrutiny. What makes seitan tick?

“Seitan” is a very Asian-sounding word, and there’s good reason for that. It’s a lot more fun to say than “wheat gluten”. OK, there may be actual geographical reasons, too, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that “wheat gluten” sounds like a bummer, and “seitan” sounds awesome. It first appeared in cuisine during the sixth century, when it popped up as an ingredient in Chinese noodles. From there, it spread to Japan and other Asian countries, where it has been enjoyed for hundreds of years, especially by strict vegetarians, such as Buddhists.

The word “seitan” was coined in 1961 by George Ohsawa, and it took another eight years to be exported to the States as a finished product for consumption. Oh, we were eating it way before that, just not calling it seitan. Western doctors often prescribed it for diabetics in the 1830s and Seventh-Day Adventists were big supporters as well.

But let’s get back to those Asian roots. In Chinese, it’s called mien chin which translates roughly to “dough tendon”. It’s often deep-fried into small puffy balls, though it’s also popular steamed or baked. Pre-prepared seitan is often eaten at Chinese breakfast as an accompaniment to congee. In Japanese, seitan is called fu, and is generally eaten in one of two forms. It can be consumed raw, in which case it’s often formed into whimsical shapes or filled with sweeter things like red bean paste. Or, it can be leavened with baking powder and dry baked into long sticks. In this form, it’s often added to broth, such as miso soup.

Here in America, seitan enjoyed a popularity boom in the 20th century. It’s high in protein, and became a natural meat substitute alongside tofu. It’s sold in blocks, in strips, or in familiar shapes such as burger patties. And it’s not just for humans; seitan is often used to provide protein and bind other ingredients in pet food.

That may make it sound unappealing, but like tofu, seitan seems to take on the flavors of whatever you cook it with, which allows for some delicious experimentation. If your morals or your diet doesn’t allow for consumption of animal products, seitan has been a reliable fallback since King Arthur was in charge.

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