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mini-essay: salmon sashimi 🍣

/ 2 min read

Part of a series of mini-essays.

“Is it possible to make sashimi from supermarket salmon?” was the question that inspired me to read up on this, and the answer is: theoretically yes, with a high chance of getting a parasitic infection. 🤠

There’s no specific breed of salmon that defines sashimi-grade salmon. What matters is its handling throughout the supply chain:

  • Salmon are flash-frozen, i.e. frozen at -20 to -35℃, to kill parasites like Anasakis worms, which cause Anisakiasis. Over 1,000 cases of Anisakiasis are reported in Japan annually.
  • Strict safety measures and quality control are enforced.
  • Several cuts are preferred (especially top loin and belly), due to higher fat content and “umami”/“mouthfeel”.

Because of the strict handling required, all salmon used for sashimi has to be farm-raised. Interestingly, as of today, Atlantic salmon are almost exclusively farm-raised and Pacific salmon are almost exclusively wild-caught. So most sashimi are made of Atlantic salmon, which gives sashimi the bright red-orange hue we’re used to.

Regulations and safety to eat

In most countries (including Singapore), sashimi-grade isn’t a regulated term. Thankfully for us, SFA implemented regulations that make eating store-bought raw food generally safe here:

  • During purchase and receipt, suppliers must provide valid health certificates, fish must be transported at <5℃, and upon arrival each fish must be spot-checked with a temperature gun.
  • In storage, fish must be kept <5℃ and must use the FIFO principle.

This, of course, doesn’t guarantee that all the restaurants will follow these guidelines.

History

In the grand scheme of history, salmon sashimi is actually a pretty modern invention:

  • Norway 🇳🇴 pioneered commercial salmon farming in the 1970s, where previously wild salmon were becoming an endangered species.
  • Norwegians launched the raw salmon propaganda to Japan in the 1980s when they had a surplus of farmed salmon (Project Japan) - in a decade, export to Japan tripled, and the salmon sashimi/nigiri/sushi was born! (Thank you Norway!)

What makes sashimi, sashimi?

Raw salmon doesn’t only exist through sashimi. For example, gravlax is a Nordic dish that massively predates sashimi. So what distinguishes sashimi from any other raw salmon dishes?

  • Traditionally, it is cut with a sharp knife (see knife techniques: hira-zukuri, saku-zukuri and usu-zukuri).
  • It is, intentionally, a very minimal dish, served only with soy sauce and wasabi.
  • Sashimi should be prepared with sashimi-grade fish, whereas other raw salmon dishes that use different preparation techniques (e.g. gravlax is salt-cured) may not require it for safety reasons.