Lesson 2: Cutting
How to cut salmon for sashimi
Sashimi = the best, freshest fish served raw. It’s all in the cut, the cut is the cooking.
Take a side of salmon and divide into 3. Cut along the side of the spine and across the tail. Keep the tail-piece (poach it or freeze it to use in another recipe).
Use the fat rectangular fillet for sashimi, use the flatter, more triangular fillet for nigiri.
Run your hand gently across the fillet to stretch it, trim off any brown meat. Trim the ends to make a more rectangular block.
You want to cut the fish on the bias (at a 45-degree angle) cut through the fibres to make the fish tender. Forget everything you thought you knew about how to cut.
Press your hand down on the fish, position the knife towards you and in one movement slice beneath your hand. Slice across the bias, cutting diagonally. If you don’t cut all the way through flip the cut piece of fish over, then cut down and through the remaining edge.
How to cut salmon for nigiri
Take the nigiri fillet and slice into blocks roughly 6cm long.
Place the piece and place in on the board with the brown meat touching the board.
Trim off any brown meat by cutting as closely as possible to board.
Slice on the diagonal, across the bias at a 45 degree angle. Remember to make your cut in one slicing movement, towards you.
