How to Eat Sushi

Everyone loves the ubiquitous this kind of sushi roll. The following recipe will show you how you can make it at home. It takes some practice, but even if you mess it up the first time around (and you will!), it will still taste great no matter what it looks like. So, relax!

Relax! Learning how to eat sushi at home or in a local sushi bar isn't all that difficult. Just follow these simple guidelines.

Dip Your Fish in the Soy Sauce

Always dip your fish into the soy sauce. I discovered the reason for this after most of the rice from my ebi (shrimp)nigiri ended up floating in my dish. Also, the rice will suck up too much of the soy sauce and hide the wonderful taste of the sushi vinegar used to season the rice.

Take it easy with the soy sauce!

I just don't get those folks who soak everything in soy sauce. What's the point of eating sushi or sashimi if you can't enjoy their subtle flavours.

Keep the Wasabi in its place

I see people mixing wasabi in their soy sauce all the time. There was a time when I thought this is how it was done. Nope! If you want to kick it up a notch, ask the sushi chef to add a bit more wasabi to your sushi.

Eat Sushi with Your Fingers

It is not bad manners to eat sushi with your fingers. It is meant to be eaten this way (usually 1 or 2 bites at the most). Make sure to use chopsticks for sashimi. Check out my guide to using chopsticks:

How to Use Chopsticks

Toss the Spoon

The next time your bowl of miso soup arrives, eat it the Japanese way - without a spoon. Cup the bowl in both hands and slowly sip the liquid out. Use a pair of chopsticks to fish out those tasty bits of wakame seaweed or tofu.

Don't Rub Your Chopsticks

I used to think it was kind of hip to rub my wooden chopsticks together, especially when they were full of splinters. Turns out that this is a show bad manners. If you feel compelled to rub your chopsticks, do it out-of-sight - maybe under the table!

Don't Play With Your Chopsticks

I don't think I need to tell you not to stick a pair of chopsticks in your mouth and pretend you're a walrus. But, did you know that sticking them upright in a bowl of rice is definitely a no go! This action mimics a Japanese funeral rite.

Thats it! Now you know how to eat sushi!

Naked Sushi

If you're thinking about trying "naked sushi" you may want to read the following:

All About Naked Sushi

Return to Home Page from How to Eat Sushi

If you want to learn more about how to eat sushi, I highly recommend The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson.

Everything you never knew about sushi—its surprising origins, the colorful lives of its chefs, the bizarre behavior of the creatures that compose it—is revealed in this entertaining documentary account.

In this richly reported story, journalist Trevor Corson shadows several American sushi novices and a master Japanese chef, taking the reader behind the scenes as the students strive to master the elusive art of cooking without cooking. With the same eye for drama and humor that Corson brings to the exploits of the chefs, he delves into the biology and natural history of the creatures of the sea. He illuminates sushi’s beginnings as an Indo-Chinese meal akin to cheese, describes its reinvention in bustling nineteenth-century Tokyo as a cheap fast food, and tells the story of the pioneers who brought it to America. He shows how this unlikely meal is now exploding into the American heartland just as the long-term future of sushi may be unraveling.

The Zen of Fish is a compelling tale of human determination as well as a delectable smorgasbord of surprising food science, intrepid reporting, and provocative cultural history.

How to Sushi Videos

This special series of instructional videos were shot in the suburbs and show an actual suburbanite rolling his own sushi! Proof that you can do it to!

How to Make Sushi Rice

Making Sushi Rolls

Make an Inside-Out Roll

Popular Sushi Recipes

California Rolls

Spicy Tuna Rolls

Kappa Maki - Cucumber Roll

Unagi Sushi (Barbecued Eel)

Win a Sushi Guy Sushi Kit!

Share your favourite sushi recipe with other sushi lovers and win a $50.00 Sushi Guy Sushi Kit! Did I really say sushi that many times! Told ya! I'm addicted!