i love sashimi and i wanted to know...

sashimi is raw fish but it is mad expensive to buy when i go to sushi bars. what is so different about the way the sashimi is prepared than if i just bought a raw fish fillet and cut it up myself and ate it raw?

I am no sushi expert I just love eating it . But I would think that only the freshest fish is served at restaurants so if a fish is more that a day (or less) old it can't be used. I wouldn't trust a fish from the store, it might be fresh enough for cooking but not eating raw.

Here is my favorite recipe for sashimi at home:  http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/takehomeche f/recipes/episode1106.html

Make sure you get a quality cut of fresh or frozen ahi tuna at your grocer's meat counter.  The above comment is right that the meat needs to be fresh but if you shop around it's not hard to find a good cut of fresh tuna steak.

The fish at sushi bars is "sashimi grade." It is, I believe, flash frozen (to kill parasites). Typically, fish sold in grocery stores is prepared in such a way because it is assumed it will be cooked. Maybe if you get fresh-frozen (is that the same as flash frozen?). I'd talk to your fishmonger.

to meet sashimi standards (at least in north america), fish has to be filleted and flash frozen on the boat, very shortly after it's caught.  this prevents the growth of bacteria.  unless it's labelled "sashimi grade," don't even think about eating fish raw.

aha, thanks everyone. i will poke around my grocery store and look for sashimi grade fish. thinking about sashimi has my mouth watering right now.... :3

you probably won't get it at a grocery store (unless yours is pretty special).  if you're on the coast, go to a fisherman's dock; if not, find a good fish store.

hmm, that sux. thanks, i will look for a good fish store, i know there is one around me, someone was talking about it a while ago.

hmm, that sux. thanks, i will look for a good fish store, i know there is one around me, someone was talking about it a while ago.

You'll want to try a Japanese or Korean fish store, or even a specialized Asian supermarket. Normal supermarkets usually don't carry sashimi-grade fish. Sometimes, salmon fillets at supermarkets are fresh - Ask the people who are working there about their stock.

Sashimi is more of a method of preparation and presentation, no specific type of fish.

Original Post by moonbay:

i will look for a good fish store, i know there is one around me

 When you go to the fish store make sure to mention that it's for sashimi, and ask the fish to be cut from a piece in the "walk-in" fridge, it will be fresher than what's in the counter, trust me I used to work at a fish store and we made sushi and sashimi.  Oh ans if you're getting salmon ask for a center cut.

First where do you live?

If you live less than 30 min - 1hour from the coast you might be able to get sashimi grade sushi from your local fish monger (Preferably a dedicated fish monger not a grocery store). Talk with them make sure they know it is sushi/sashimi.

If you are not that close then you need to go with flash frozen, not fresh frozen as some one was asking earlier.

If you can't find it localy you can get it online, or make sushi that has been made from cooked fish, it is not shashimi but is still pretty good, and can provide many wonderful flavors that are not available other wise.

i work at a grocery store that has a seafood department that sells sushi. i dont eat sushi btw, only sashimi (the raw fish part).

the only sashimi grade fish they had was their tuna steaks. gah...

i know there is a lot of korean and oriental stores around where i live (east coast) i live basicaly on the water so i guess i can find a fish dock too.

haha, im a little scared to eat whatever i do end up finding; i wonder what the chances are that i could get sick?

 When you go to the fish store make sure to mention that it's for sashimi, and ask the fish to be cut from a piece in the "walk-in" fridge, it will be fresher than what's in the counter, trust me I used to work at a fish store and we made sushi and sashimi.  Oh ans if you're getting salmon ask for a center cut.

 thanks cmarchand28, this information is very helpful btw