Tokyo · Edo-style sushi, early 19th century

Omakase nigiri

Name: Omakase nigiri
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tokyo
Ingredients: 300 g short-grain sushi rice; 50 ml rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt; 400 g sushi-grade fish: tuna, sea bream, salmon, scallop; Wasabi, soy sauce, pickled ginger; A very sharp knife

Omakase means “I leave it to you”: a sequence of nigiri chosen and shaped by the chef, piece by piece, at a counter of pale wood. The most disciplined meal in the world.

Rich3

Umami9

Fresh8

Spice2

Sweet2

The wine

Sake, ideally a dry junmai served cool; among wines, a Chablis or a blanc de blancs Champagne.

Nigiri sushi was born as street food in Edo, the old Tokyo, around 1820: a ball of vinegared rice with a slice of fish on top, eaten by hand. Two centuries later it is the most refined format in fine dining, and the omakase counter, where the chef decides the sequence and the pace, is its cathedral. Masa in New York, Nintai in Marbella and Nagaya in Düsseldorf all follow the same liturgy.

The rice matters more than the fish. It is seasoned with vinegar, salt and a little sugar, served at body temperature and pressed just enough to hold. The fish is aged, cured or lightly torched depending on the piece; the chef brushes it with soy so the guest does not have to. Twelve to twenty pieces make a dinner, with a tamago omelette at the end.

At home, nigiri is a craft rather than a recipe: excellent rice, sushi-grade fish from a trusted supplier, sharp knives and patience. Start with four fish, shape the rice loosely, and eat each piece within a minute of making it.

The home recipe · Serves 4

Ingredients

300 g short-grain sushi rice
50 ml rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
400 g sushi-grade fish: tuna, sea bream, salmon, scallop
Wasabi, soy sauce, pickled ginger
A very sharp knife

Method

Wash the rice until the water runs clear, cook it, and fold in the seasoned vinegar while fanning it to a gloss.
Slice the fish across the grain into pieces of 8 by 3 centimetres, a few millimetres thick.
Wet your hands, take 15 g of rice, shape it loosely into an oval and press a trace of wasabi on top.
Lay the fish over the rice and press gently with two fingers so it curves over the rice.
Brush with soy and serve at once; eat by hand, fish side down on the tongue.