High-quality, fresh fish with this sashimi preparation.
What to buy: Sashimi is all about the fish; with so few ingredients it’s imperative to buy the best you can find. We made this with yellowfin tuna, though it would be equally good with salmon or hamachi. Buy your fish from a reputable source, and let your fishmonger know that you will be serving it raw so he or she gives you a top-quality piece.
Regular soy sauce is fermented from 80 percent soybeans and 20 percent wheat. White soy sauce, or shiro-shoyu, is made from the opposite: 80 percent wheat and 20 percent soybeans. Then niboshi (tiny dried sardines), kombu (dried giant seaweed), and dried shiitake mushrooms are added to produce a more flavorful brew called shiro dashi, which can be found in Japanese and Asian markets or online. If shiro dashi is not readily available, just use a regular high-quality Japanese soy sauce.
Game plan: To maintain the quality of the fish, serve it on chilled plates and keep the sashimi in the refrigerator until you are ready to slice it.
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Remove fish from the refrigerator and, using a sharp knife with a thin blade, slice very thinly. Divide slices of fish evenly among 8 plates.
2 Drizzle each serving with about 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, adding more as desired. Sprinkle sesame seeds and chives over fish and serve immediately.
Beverage pairing: Tozai Junmai Living Jewel Sake, Japan. Of course it’s natural to think of sake when eating sashimi. But sake does indeed have an ethereal delicateness that perfectly embellishes the creamy texture and pillowy softness of good fish.
