Fresh Gulf Tuna Nigiri Sushi
Ingredients:
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups plus 2 tsp cold water
1/2 cup sushi vinegar
1/2 pound fresh Gulf tuna
Wasabi paste
Rice Directions:
Soak rice in bowl of cold water. Stir the rice around with your hands until it becomes cloudy. Pour the water out and add fresh cold water. Continue this process until water remains clear when stirred. This could take as long as 30 minutes or more. No shortcuts! Once rice is sparkly clean, pour rice into pot with 2 cups of water. Cover pot tightly with lid and heat on medium high until steam comes out. Do not remove lid during this process. Turn heat to high for two minutes. Then, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Finally, turn off heat and let stand on cooling burner for 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff rice. Remove from burner. Place towel over pot and cover with lid. Wait another 15 minutes. Rice is now ready to be seasoned.
Pour rice into large plastic or glass bowl, not metal as it will react with the vinegar, and add vinegar while mixing rice with wooden utensil, preferably a bamboo paddle. Fan rice to help it cool. Cover with towel until ready to use.
Tuna Directions:
The fish needs to reach room temp at the same time as the rice, so make sure to remove it from the fridge when you start to prepare the rice. Rinse the fish under cold water and place on a folded paper towel or actual towel, over a tray of ice or one of those fake ice brick things that go inside coolers. You want the fish to stay cool but not too cool. When the rice is seasoned and cooling, cut the tuna into slices about a half of an inch thick or so, across the grain of the fish. Use a sharp blade and wipe it between each slice. You are now ready to form the nigiri sushi.
Nigiri Sushi Directions:
Pour some water and vinegar into small bowl. This is for your hands. Dip your hands into it, coat them, then shake your hands a couple times. Do this before each time you form the sushi. Take a portion of the rice, about meatball size, and place it in the palm of one hand. With the first two fingers of your other hand, press the rice into your palm to form a rounded rectangle. Flip into other hand and smear a stripe of wasabi over it, then cover that with a piece of fish. Press and shape to your liking and place onto a plate. Repeat this until out of fish. Form remaining rice into balls. Sushi rice balls are awesome.
Commentary: This turned out far better than either of us expected. It only cost $7 for the fresh tuna, and it would have cost like $50 in a restaurant for the same 14 pieces of nigiri sushi, that would usually not be as good, unless the place was awesome and happened to use the exact same rice to fish ration I prefer. This meal was a big win all around.
Mouthfools 