The Journal
Sushi & Rolls
Sushi, sashimi, nigiri and specialty rolls explained.
The Rice: The Part That Makes It Sushi
Sushi means the seasoned rice, not the fish. What is in it, why the temperature matters, and what the definition explains about a menu.
Cream Cheese, Jalapeno and the Deep Fryer
Hide the nori, use the rice as a surface, add fat to balance the vinegar. How the American specialty roll came to look like it does.
Scallop, Shrimp and Crab: The Cooked Half of a Sushi Menu
The shellfish section is where most of the cooking happens. What is raw, what is not, and why scallop is the one that goes both ways.
Tuna, Albacore and Yellowtail: Telling the Three Apart
Red and firm, pink and soft, white and buttery. Two of the three are tuna, one is not, and they taste nothing alike.
Salmon on a Japanese Menu: Eight Ways to Order It
Raw, baked, deep fried, grilled, on the bone and as crisped skin – one fish that tastes like several, depending where you find it.
Hand Roll vs Cut Roll: What’s the Difference?
Same fillings, different geometry. A cone you eat immediately, or a cylinder cut into pieces – and why the shape decides everything.
Specialty Sushi Roll Names, Decoded
Hot Night, Red Bull, Golden Tiger. The names tell you nothing – but the description underneath follows rules, and they are easy to learn.
What to Order at a Sushi Restaurant If You Don’t Like Raw Fish
Sushi means the rice, not the fish. Tempura, baked, fried, eel and vegetable rolls – what to order and how to read the menu for them.
Nigiri vs Sashimi: What’s the Difference?
Nigiri is fish on seasoned rice; sashimi is fish on its own. What that changes about ordering, portions and how each one is eaten.
The Art of the Roll
What separates a baked roll from a fried one, and why the order of assembly matters more than the ingredient list.