WAIT! Before you think, "Sushi - ewww.....raw fish!" read me!
For every person that I know that loves sushi there are two more that hate it! There is a lot of confusion as to what sushi is so let me explain briefly.
According to Wikipedia: In Japanese cuisine sushi is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish.
Sashimi on the other hand means raw fish/seafood.
Many non-Japanese use the two words interchangeably when actually the two dishes are completely different. Sushi refers to vinegared rice which may be served with seafood (raw/cooked) and/or vegetables. Sashimi specifically refers to the raw fish/seafood alone.
So....... "sushi" does not necessarily mean raw fish!
On that note I have a recipe for you. Broiled sushi! For those of you that are still a little scared, not to worry. There is no raw fish in this! Funny thing is, there is no vinegar in the rice either. Go figure!
Broiled Sushi Recipe
Ingredients:
3-4 cups of cooked rice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup light mayonnaise
8-10 sticks imitation crab meat, chopped
9-10 shiitake mushrooms, chopped (fresh or dried)
furikake nori* (see note at bottom)
Korean nori (seaweed)** - optional (see note at bottom)
Sriracha hot chili sauce - optional but highly recommended
Instructions:
1) Prepare the mushrooms - if you are lucky enough to be able to find fresh shiitake mushrooms simply remove and discard the stems, rinse and chop. If you are using dried shiitake mushrooms follow the instructions on the bag for preparation. Usually it consists of soaking the mushrooms in warm water for approximately 30 minutes, squeezing the excess moisture out, removing the stems then chopping them. You can also save the stock for soup!
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
Soaking2) Spread cooked rice in a 9x13" glass dish or pan.
3) Sprinkle generous amounts of furikake nori over the rice.
4) Top with crab mixture.
5) Broil until brown. (Usually 8-10 minutes.)
6) Optional - top with Sriracha hot chili sauce. Warning - it is hot!
7) Spoon individual portions into Korean nori or eat it without!
A couple of notes:
*Furikake nori - there are many different kinds of furikake to choose from. Many are flavored and the flavoring can be overpowering! I would recommend getting a very basic furikake that only contains sesame seeds, seaweed flakes, salt and sugar. This is the one I use.
**Nori is "seaweed". There is a variety of nori to choose from, including different flavors, sizes, etc. Also - Korean nori is different from Japanese nori. While many may find Japanese nori to be a bit bland Korean nori is toasted with sesame oil and sprinkled with salt. You can use either. Or - eat it without the nori! (Or be like my daughter and ONLY eat the seaweed!)
Reheats well!
Itadakimasu!
