| Japanese food is one of the most loved | | | | sashimi is nothing but the freshest and finest raw |
| international cuisines today. People of all | | | | seafood, sliced skillfully and artfully arranged and |
| nationalities actually look for it when going out to | | | | presented. Japanese restaurants ensure utmost |
| eat. It is almost unimaginable that a few | | | | hygiene in its preparation. Special knives are used |
| generations ago only the Japanese appreciated | | | | for sashimi and chefs are specially trained for its |
| their traditional food and only travelers to the Far | | | | presentation. Sashimi is eaten simply dipped lightly |
| East got the opportunity to sample their delicacies. | | | | in shoyu or soy sauce with wasabi paste. Among |
| These days, you will surely locate a good | | | | the seafood used for sashimi are salmon, tuna, |
| Japanese restaurant or a sushi bar in any modern | | | | mackerel, yellowtail, shrimp, squid, sea urchin and |
| city in the United States and anywhere else in the | | | | scallops. Even those who have tried it for the first |
| world. The mainstays and popular favorites in | | | | time are surprised by the delicate sweetness of |
| Japanese food are nigiri sushi, makimono sushi, | | | | raw seafood. |
| sashimi and tempura. The same is true in Tampa | | | | Sushi can also include raw seafood among its |
| FL. | | | | toppings or fillings and it is also eaten lightly dipped |
| Among the many dishes in Japanese food, sashimi | | | | in shoyu or soy sauce with wasabi paste, but it is |
| and sushi made with raw fish and other raw | | | | not like sashimi. In fact, the main ingredients of |
| seafood may be daunting to those who are not | | | | sushi are cooked Japanese rice flavored with |
| quite adventurous in taste. It would therefore be | | | | Japanese vinegar. Sushi has become so popular |
| best to introduce them to the wonders of | | | | around the world, though, that there are even |
| Japanese food through tempura which is | | | | sushi restaurants and sushi bars devoted to it |
| universally liked. In fact, it is easily the top dish | | | | even in Tampa FL. |
| ordered in typical Japanese restaurants, even in | | | | Sushi can be served as nigiri sushi or makimono |
| Tampa FL. | | | | sushi. Nigiri sushi is made of an oval of cooked |
| For the tempura dish, a variety of seafood and | | | | Japanese rice flavored with vinegar and a swab of |
| vegetables are coated with a very light cold | | | | wasabi paste, then topped with one or a |
| batter and deep fried. The resulting tempura | | | | combination of raw and cooked ingredients. Strips |
| pieces are very airy and crispy, never soggy and | | | | of nori or dried seaweed can be used to fence in |
| oily. They are served freshly made and eaten | | | | loose toppings like raw fish roe. Makimono sushi |
| while piping hot, drizzled with a sauce made of | | | | has fillings instead of toppings. The cooked |
| dashi or broth, mirin or rice wine, shoyu or soy | | | | Japanese rice flavored with vinegar and swabbed |
| sauce and wasabi paste. Among the seafood | | | | with wasabi paste is laid on a sheet of nori along |
| used for tempura are prawns, shrimps, fish fillet, | | | | with the chosen fillings and rolled into a log. This is |
| squid, scallops and crabmeat. Popular tempura | | | | then sliced thickly into disks. Makimono sushi can |
| vegetables are eggplant, okra, mushrooms, sweet | | | | also come as temaki which is a cone of nori filled |
| potato, yam, squash, bell pepper, carrot and | | | | with the vinegared rice and fillings. All types of |
| green beans. | | | | sushi are popular in sushi restaurants and sushi |
| Sashimi can be introduced to anyone who is | | | | bars in Tampa FL. |
| brave enough to try raw seafood. After all, | | | | |