Where to purchase sushi grade fish

If the grocer is situated close to the coast, this is a possibility. However, if you ask me, I would prefer to buy sushi-grade fish only from the fishmonger I trust or some a reliable online store.

I certainly prefer this option over the local grocer because, with a trusted source, you can be sure that the fish is properly handled, stored and shipped to you.

The online store bought fish is typically a couple of days old when shipped and the shipments are done overnight. While the shipping cost for sushi-grade fish bought online is high, it is worth the quality and speed at which the order is delivered at your doorstep. The difference is no more than a good tip you would willingly pay at a good quality sushi bar. With the rising popularity of sushi and the great demand for sushi-grade fish, several online stores have come up but my favorite is Catalina Offshore Products.

I prefer the online store for its incredible selection of raw fish and seafood for making sushi at home. The store also stocks some of the rare to find sushi-grade delicacies such as uni sea urchin , ankimo monkfish liver , and awabi abalone.

Most of the products are shipped frozen to you so you may defrost when you are ready to make sushi at home. If you are a beginner at sushi making, you may also find sushi kits and other essential ingredients required to help you get started.

Several online fish stores have come and fizzled out from the market because it is tough to sustain in this market. However, Catalina has stood the tests of time and I now recommend it to all those who ask me where to buy sushi grade fish. If you are lucky enough to catch a saltwater fish when you are out for leisure fishing, you may use it for making sushi.

I would suggest that you avoid risking your health for a little adventure. The Internet has made life easier and you can now order perfectly frozen fish shipped to your address. If you wish to make sushi at home, order sushi-grade fish from a reputed online store and prepare sushi rice at home. Add a few veggies like avocado or cucumber of your choice and you can have delicious sushi ready to enjoy. Pick the low-risk species.

When in doubt, it is always better to play safe and choose Arctic char instead of salmon, sea bream in the place of flounder and tuna fish. Avoid buying the high-risk species such as wild salmon, cod, and mackerel unless they are especially frozen as per FDA regulations to kill parasites. Be good friends with your local sushi chef. If you have a reputed sushi restaurant in your area, try to befriend the sushi chef because they purchase sushi-grade fish in bulk quantity from trusted suppliers.

It also can separate and come apart at the lines. These could be cooked and would be ok. And they would be passable for maki sushi rolled sushi. Make sure your fillets are on fresh ice, not melting ice or laying in any kind of water and ice. They should also be in an enclosed case or under cover. Before you head out to the fish market or local grocery store to pick out a sushi grade fish you intend to carve up and eat as Sushi or Sashimi, review the following tips so you'll be prepared to pick out the best one of the bunch.

The eyes have it! They are the windows to determining fishy freshness. Look for eyes that are bright, clear and bulging; not dull, cloudy, or sunken in. This will be the best single indicator of freshness, so check out those eyes! The fish should be firm to the touch and bounce back when pressed, not squishy. It should also be shiny. If the fish is firm but not shiny it was probably frozen at some point. If the fish was intended to be sold for raw consumption and is one known to possibly carry certain parasites, then it was probably frozen according to FDA guidelines to eliminate any parasitic risks.

The scales should be tight and intact, not loose. It should not smell fishy but like clean water or the ocean. Check out the gills. They should be red, clean and moist not slimy or dry. Any traces of slime could be an indication of spoiled flesh or disease.

Avoid fish that has dulled or discolored patches in it, looks green or has yellow coloring to it unless that is the natural color of the fish or whose flesh is darkening. Make sure in your search for sushi grade fish, that your fillets are on fresh ice, not melting ice or laying in any kind of water and ice.

So now you are educated. You know how to screen your sushi grade fish and fillets for bacterial pathogens and parasites and also know how to eyeball each to tell if they look and feel fresh. But where do you go to make your actual purchase? Well a lot of that obviously will depend on what your options are based on where you live and your availability to fresh seafood.

Whether that be from the local dock, fish market, grocery store or online sources. Let's go over each one separately. This option will probably provide you with the freshest selection you have limited by the fish that are available in your area. You will have to do your due diligence however and ask the right questions to insure that your fish has had all bacteria and parasites eliminated by freezing for the proper amount of time and that scombrotoxin is not an issue make sure fish is well iced, looks fresh, etc.

Other than that, once you find a consistently reliable source here, this is probably one of the best places to get your sushi grade fish for sushi and sashimi. This is another option if your local grocery store carries sushi grade fish. If it is not labeled as such, be sure to ask to make sure. And go ahead and ask the educated questions again like has the fish been properly frozen according to FDA guidelines to eliminate any risks of bacteria and parasites. You can never be too safe.

And if you come to trust that your grocer can provide you with a safe and properly handled supply of sushi grade fish, then you are lucky. Maybe you have a grocer that is closer to the coast. Generally though, I would be more hesitant to get my sushi grade fish from a local grocer than from a reliable online source.

And here's why. Like in my case, I live in a central part of the U. So delivery of fish to these grocery stores can make the fish up to several weeks old before I can get it and may have not been properly handled.

Which at this point would make the fish not suitable for eating raw anymore. This is the option I prefer over getting it from my local grocer. If you find a good reliable source, the fish will be properly handled when caught blood drained, packed in ice, etc.

Normally shipment will be overnight. Shipping costs can be pricey, but for the quality of the seafood and the speed of delivery it is worth it and is no more than a good tip would be at a fine sushi bar. For me and the area that I live in, I find this option to be far more reliable than my local grocer. If you don't have a good local fish market or a local grocer available that you trust for your sushi grade fish, then try Catalina Offshore Products.

They are who I use and highly recommend. Miscellaneous Pages: The Tokyo Food Page is a large repository of general information about sushi, restaurants, recipes, and Tokyo! Facebook Twitter RSS. Sushi Grade Fish. Yellowtail with with sake poached chanterelles and grilled asparagus. Other Resources There are plenty of other resources on the web for information, some of my favorites are: Miscellaneous Pages: The Tokyo Food Page is a large repository of general information about sushi, restaurants, recipes, and Tokyo!

Sushi-grade fish must be frozen before being consumed, to further prevent any of those food-borne illnesses, and this is usually done via flash freezing, sometimes immediately after sushi-grade salmon, for example, is caught.

But how safe is it to consume raw fish, sushi-grade or not? This is where things get tricky. Sashimi-grade fish is considered the same as sushi-grade fish; the two terms are used interchangeably. Your salmon should smell more or less like sea water and have a bright color, with a slightly firm feel soft fish is a red flag.