SASHIMI grade fish

Hey,
I absolutely love sashimi but that stuff burns a whole in pocket eating from restaurants, is there anywhere I can get sashimi grade fish in particular tuna/white tuna
Thanks

Dirks carries a sashimi grade blue fin tuna. Its not cheap at $30 a lb the last time I bought it.

I saw several different varieties for sale at H-Mart on Sunday.

Fire,

Dirk's carries top of the line and Mitsuwa is very popular, though the sleeper pick is Tensuke which has an excellent selection of fresh fish for sashimi at (comparatively) reasonable prices, including toro at the fresh fish counter directly to the right of the two Itamaes. Sea Ranch has selections of sashimi grade fish as well.

Enjoy,
Gary

Tensuke
3 Arlington Heights Rd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
847-806-1200

Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop
2070 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
773-404-3475
http://www.dirksfish.com/

Mitsuwa
100 E. Algonquin Road,
Arlington Hts., IL 60005
847-956-6699

Sea Ranch
518 Dempster St
Evanston, IL
847-492-8340

Sea Ranch
3217 Lake Ave
Wilmette, IL
847-256-4404

I picked up some sashimi-grade tuna at the HMart in Naperville on Saturday, made some rolls last night and it was okay fish. Nothing spectacular.

But seeing as how I'm not going to be in Naperville very much, I'm looking at the Lawrence Fish Market* for my fish in the future.

Anyone have any experience with LFM?

*Yelp link - ye be warned

I've been to Dirk's and I would recommend calling ahead to make sure they have what you want in store. Sometimes they have different things on different days.

The sashimi grade fish at H-Mart just does not look very good.
I mostly purchase from Mitsuwa which although pricey is top quality. Just before New Years I purchased bluefin, Toro, Hirame, Hamachi, abalone in the shell and salmon roe, all top quality.
Sea Ranch can be good but the selection is usually limited as they do a bigger business with 'take out' sushi/sashimi than anything else these days.
The 'take out' from either Mitsuwa or Sea Ranch can be a particularly good value if purchasing the 'lunch' special.-Dick

I'm a big fan of Mitsuwa and Tensuke for sashimi grade fish. Usually Tensuke is a little cheaper, but at both places, just look very closely at the cuts. I can't really describe what to be looking for, but usually, the stuff that looks better, generally IS better. Mitsuwa will also mark discounts on short dated packages, and hell, check their case in the front for the pre-made stuff to add on to a homemade sushi dinner if that's what you're doing. There also are some of those Asian mkts on Lawrence around Kimball (ish) that have signs like "seafood" or "Sushi grade." I've gone to two different ones (prolly like three years ago,) and they both sold the toro as frozen chunks. The stuff I've gotten from Mitsuwa and Tensuke, however, were much better. Worlds better. Plus, the "show" at Mitsuwa is great. I love going there, and getting lost in all things Asian Market for a little while. Pocki stix, melon gummies, mochi - oh yeah, I'm out of this - ooh look - nishiki is on sale for a pretty decent price...I should get my aunt a little bottle of that unfiltered sake in the pink bottle I told her about...etc. And you always leave with a bubble tea, and some silly thing from the bakery that you know is not gonna be really good, but you gotta try it anyway (kiwi bun, anyone?) and some kind of maki or maki/nigir combo that just got put in the case for the ride home - lol.

(As an aside, as I understand what the OP is looking for here) Is there such a thing as "sushi grade" or "sashimi grade"? I mean, in a regulated sense (like USDA Select/Choice/Prime)? As far as I know, they're just marketing terms with no official definition, right? I mean, there is certainly fish you do want to use for sashimi and fish you don't, but the terms in and of themselves don't have any real standards. So can basically any place slap a sign that says "sushi grade" on any piece of fish they feel they could get away with?

My understanding is these terms are not regulated in any way. You can eat most fish raw if it is fresh enough and has been handled correctly. You need a knowledgeable source that you trust.

Darren72 wrote:My understanding is these terms are not regulated in any way. You can eat most fish raw if it is fresh enough and has been handled correctly. You need a knowledgeable source that you trust.

Oh, I'll betcha there are at least SOME regulations. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to grab a four year old king outta Diversey Harbor in November, filet it up, and sell it as namasake. I think there's gotta be some regulations about the bodies of water, and some species have to be flash frozen to take care of creepy crawlies...I'm not 100% sure, but I've heard this to be the case.

seebee, I searched the USDA website for "sushi," "sushi grade," "sashimi," and "raw fish" (the last producing so many hits as to be unusable. While it's likely that I didn't use the right words, I wasn't able to come up with any Federal regulation on fish for raw consumption - if somebody can find it and point me in the right direction, please do.

I'm guessing that you want to be very careful where you buy this stuff; I'd trust most of the recommendations above. Didn't somebody somewhere post on "sushi-grade tilapia?"

These guidelines come from the FDA, not the USDA:

FDA regulation wrote:Fish, other than molluscan shellfish, that are intended for consumption in their raw form and allowed as specified in Subparagraph 3-401.11(C)(1) may be offered for sale or service if they are obtained from a supplier that freezes the fish as specified under § 3-402.11; or frozen on the premises as specified under § 3-402.11 and records are retained as specified under § 3-402.12.

Here is the source.

Assuming the regulations are followed, one is mush better off buying fish that is still frozen, if the intent is to eat it raw. The most likely source of degradation is from the retailer itself, which might thaw the fish and the store it poorly or for too long.

seebee wrote:

Darren72 wrote:My understanding is these terms are not regulated in any way. You can eat most fish raw if it is fresh enough and has been handled correctly. You need a knowledgeable source that you trust.

Oh, I'll betcha there are at least SOME regulations. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to grab a four year old king outta Diversey Harbor in November, filet it up, and sell it as namasake. I think there's gotta be some regulations about the bodies of water, and some species have to be flash frozen to take care of creepy crawlies...I'm not 100% sure, but I've heard this to be the case.

There are regulations in place that seafood that is intended to be eaten raw must be frozen at -20 degrees F for 7 days, which kills certain types of parasites. (There are other temperature/time combinations that satisfy this regulation.) Tuna, mollusks, and certain types of salmon are exempt from this regulation. The terms "sushi grade" and "sashimi grade" are not, as far as I know, regulated in any way. If you know differently, please share.

I was at sunset foods a few months ago, buying what they advertised as sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. I asked the guy at the fish counter to give me a fresh piece because we were going to eat it raw. He said that they never recommend that anyone eat their fish raw. I asked why it was called sushi grade, and he said that was because it was the same type of tuna that sushi is made from, but that it should not be eaten raw. I bought it anyway and made it into a ceviche, which is kind of cooked by the lime juice anyway, and it was fine.

-Will

As correctly stated, there are no FDA Regulations for Sushi/Sashimi Grade fish. Much of what is sold with that appelation is indeed frozen for both storage and parasitic reasons.
But not all is frozen, Sushi grade blue fin can be had in Maguro and Toro grade fresh from Browne Trading in the summer and Kona Kampichi, farmed in Hawaii is fresh and suitable for raw consumption if the vendor takes care of it.
My personal guidelines are if not labeled sushi/sashimi grade and not from a source I know and trust, it is not suitable for raw consumption. I have found only three sources in the Mid-West for quality fish.
Much of the fish sold in the USA at your local grocery store is barely fit to eat and a lot is not. Very little has traceability except for shellfish which is Regulated. Storage is not consistant and frequently poor quality fish for whatever reason is frozen and resold.
I am having a quality problem with a big Chicago vendor at the moment because I am beginning to suspect that the whole fish has been soaked in preservative.
-Dick

try here:

Assi Plaza Chicago Inc
8901 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714

(847) 470-9450‎

i remember them having sashimi grade salmon... they may have the other 2

WillG wrote:I was at sunset foods a few months ago, buying what they advertised as sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. I asked the guy at the fish counter to give me a fresh piece because we were going to eat it raw. He said that they never recommend that anyone eat their fish raw. I asked why it was called sushi grade, and he said that was because it was the same type of tuna that sushi is made from, but that it should not be eaten raw. I bought it anyway and made it into a ceviche, which is kind of cooked by the lime juice anyway, and it was fine.

-Will

"Cooking" raw fish with lime juice might kill some food-borne pathogens (I don't know for sure), but it's certainly doesn't do the same job as cooking with heat does. This site states "A common misconception is that the acidity in the lime juice rids the fish of bacteria. Untrue, according to parasitologists. The lime juice will not kill any type of parasites in fish; if at most, the juice will make the worms taste better." Not sure how that paragraph started talking about bacteria and ended up with parasites, but that's pretty much what I've always heard, that chemically "cooking" fish does little to kill off harmful critters if they're present.

You gotta die of something...

Jay K wrote:You gotta die of something...

Oh, that's my attitude, too. I eat raw fish, raw beef, raw pork, raw eggs.... Just wanted the facts to be out there.

Binko wrote:

WillG wrote:I was at sunset foods a few months ago, buying what they advertised as sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. I asked the guy at the fish counter to give me a fresh piece because we were going to eat it raw. He said that they never recommend that anyone eat their fish raw. I asked why it was called sushi grade, and he said that was because it was the same type of tuna that sushi is made from, but that it should not be eaten raw. I bought it anyway and made it into a ceviche, which is kind of cooked by the lime juice anyway, and it was fine.

-Will

"Cooking" raw fish with lime juice might kill some food-borne pathogens (I don't know for sure), but it's certainly doesn't do the same job as cooking with heat does. This site states "A common misconception is that the acidity in the lime juice rids the fish of bacteria. Untrue, according to parasitologists. The lime juice will not kill any type of parasites in fish; if at most, the juice will make the worms taste better." Not sure how that paragraph started talking about bacteria and ended up with parasites, but that's pretty much what I've always heard, that chemically "cooking" fish does little to kill off harmful critters if they're present.

The Houston guy who wrote that linked article must be a lobbyist for the Texas cattle ranchers, leading a fight against the rise in popularity of fish and what he calls "nouveau cuisine". Either that or he is a paranoid schizophrenic. Not only does he say ceviche is bad, he also claims fish cooked with heat is just as dangerous as raw fish. The article is filled with contradictions and exaggerations - I wouldn't read it for anything other than amusement value.

Sorry, perhaps I should have studied the source better. What lime juice does is denature the proteins altering the texture. This is why they use the word "cooked." Like I said, it may/will kill some baddies, but it will not kill all of them.

Here's another source.

One word of note in regard to ceviche - this "short term acidification" does not kill the majority of bacteria found in whatever seafood products in the dish. This is why it's important to purchase the best type of seafood that is available.

Here's a scientific study on salmonella in ceviche.

The results indicate that eating ceviche may pose a health risk, especially for persons whose resistance to food-transmitted enteropathogens is low. Therefore, it should be emphasized that lime juice does not guarantee the safety of ceviche.

Put it this way, don't make ceviche from any fish you wouldn't be prepared to eat raw anyway. I don't particularly worry about it--like I said, I'll eat raw pork which many people seem to find disgusting--but for people who might have reason to be careful, it's useful to know.

I agree that the writing is bad. He writes "Most people think that eating cooked seafood will carry less of a health risk than raw seafood; this assumption is erroneous. Certain types of ocean fish carry ciguatoxin, a poison found in reefs and algae that is ingested by the fish." What he clearly means is that eating cooked seafood could be harmful, not that it is equally harmful. His advice about cooking fish to an internal temperature of 140 degrees puts him in good company with federal government agencies that recommend cooking other meats until they are 160 degrees.

Incidentally, the article is correct that "cooking" fish in acid does not kill parasites and bacteria as "cooking with heat" does. Not that this stops me from eating raw fish or ceviche.

Darren72 wrote:I agree that the writing is bad.

That's what I get for posting the first official-looking report (it is from a .gov, after all). I should have kept looking for sources after that whole bacteria/parasite weirdness.

Heh heh, I used to work in a sushi restaurant, and was always amused when customers would ask, "Is your fish fresh?" Like anyone would tell them if it wasn't!
From my understanding, it is standard practice to freeze tuna to kill parasites. (Again, what sushi chef is going to tell that to a customer?) My sister was on a boat near the Galapagos Islands, and when they caught a tuna, she wanted to eat sashimi then and there, but the boat crew insisted that it had to be frozen overnight before eating.

Just my .02. When I was in Tsukiji in Tokyo the tuna auctions were amazing, but the frozen auctions seemed larger than the fresh (not the fish size, the volume). I talked to one of the buyers (I speak Japanese) and he said the frozen market was usually larger (this was 2005), and lots of local businesses preferred frozen because it was less perishable.

True, there are US regulations about what you can sell, but even in Japan they regularly serve frozen. I made fast friends with the buyer (I was a novelty foreigner without a giant SLR and he had a good run that morning) and he hooked me up at his favorite stall. Having had fresh and (thawed) frozen side-by-side, if it's a good piece of fish, the taste is still great either way. The texture was a bit different, but I didn't prefer one or the other.

I also recommend Mitsuwa or Tensuke, but bring a cooler loaded with ice (no matter the weather) for the fish. You can also buy and toss a bottle of nigorizake (cloudy sake) in the cooler to start chilling it right away...

"but bring a cooler loaded with ice "
BTW both Mitsuwa and H-Mart maintain containers filled with crushed ice and bags to put it in for your cooler.-Dick

Mitsuwa!

Sashimi, freshly grated wasabi, killer bottle of Sake -- that's living!

Does anybody know if there is a grocery-store or fish market selling sashimi-grade fish (specifically, salmon) inside the city limits of Chicago?

I've checked Whole Foods (near North/Clybourn), Dirk's & Isaacson's -- no luck there.

Or do I have to schlepp all the way out to Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights

thanks

Doug

I've gotten "sushi-grade" salmon & hamachi many times from Dirk's, as recently has a couple months ago...they were both labeled as suitable for eating raw. Are they out of stock now, or did they tell you they straight-up don't carry it?

I also once bought "super-frozen" hamachi from the Huron St. Whole Foods that said it was "sushi grade" and safe to eat raw...it wasn't bad. This was many, many years ago though.