Everything you wanted to know about sushi from Iron Chef Morimoto

Whether you’re making sushi at home or ordering it at a restaurant (Morimoto Asia, of course), Chef Morimoto offers the following advice:

1. When you go eat at sushi restaurants in Japan, especially at high-end ones, there is no price on the menu (and sometimes you’re expected to trust the chef); in the U.S., the options are more explicitly presented, and guests eat what they want in the manner they want.
2. Just because a particular sushi style isn’t “authentic” doesn’t mean it’s not worth eating. Sushi in America is different from what you’ll find in Japan. Like many other cultural elements, food travels from its birthplace to other parts of the world where it evolves, changes, and eventually sets down.
3. Do not automatically dip your sushi in soy sauce. Taste the fish first to experience the sushi’s flavor.
4. Do not mix wasabi and soy sauce into a murky mess; this is a no-no.
5. Tradition dictates eating sushi with your hands vs. chopsticks (but according to Chef Morimoto, chopsticks are acceptable too).

Did you know?

It takes many years to learn the craft of sushi-making. A sushi apprentice may study for nearly a decade, but they aren’t even allowed to touch the fish during the first two years.

Sushi was originally street food purchased from street vendors (like we eat tacos or pretzels). That changed after the Tokyo earthquake in the 1920s, which reduced the cost of real estate and allowed sushi chefs to open storefronts.

Last, but certainly not least, Chef Morimoto says never eat sushi with cold rice, or it will lose its sweetness (we’re looking at you, grocery store sushi case).

Chef Morimoto’s Recipe for Eel Avocado Roll

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cooked short-grain sushi rice at room temperature
• 1 piece half-size nori seaweed sheet
• 2 ounces cut BBQ eel (unagi) warmed in the oven
• 1 ounce avocado cut into three slices
• ½ ounce julienne cucumber
• 1 teaspoon white (or black and white mixed) sesame seeds
• ½ ounce sushi pickled ginger
• 1 teasspoon wasabi

To make each roll:

1. Place a nori sheet lengthwise on a cutting board. Wet your hands in cool water and take a handful of sushi rice. Place the rice in the center of the nori and use your fingers to spread the rice evenly over the nori, and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice.
2. Turn the nori sheet over so the rice side faces down. Put the BBQ eel, cucumbers, and avocado in the middle of the nori sheet.
3. Grab the bottom edge of the nori/rice sheet, and roll it into a tight cylinder. Use a sushi rolling mat and roll it forward while keeping gentle pressure on the mat. Push both ends of the roll to make it tight.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 6-8 pieces. Serve with wasabi and sushi ginger.

NOTE: You can substitute any julienne or stick vegetables for the eel to make a veggie roll.

Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs

If you’d rather leave the sushi-making to the professionals, you can celebrate International Sushi Day at Morimoto Asia.

For more information and to make a reservation, visit morimotoasia.com.