I think my New Year’s Resolution is to eat more sushi.

Chirashi sushi (also called Chirashizushi) might be called the lazy chef’s sushi.  Rather than elaborate rolling with mats and seaweed sheets, you can achieve the same flavor profile in a deconstructed and attractive manner.  Now, when I call this a lazy chef’s sushi, I do not mean to imply that it is fast or easy. 

Chirashi means scattered, so the presentation has many of the stars of sushi but on one plate all together.  You can improvise to feature different items as you like.  One thing to consider is to have a combination of textures, temperatures and flavors to make the experience truly awesome.

Ingredients (see a suggested Shopping List below for amounts sufficient for 2 people or more)

• RICE:  Rice forms the foundation for this dish, and you will want to make a proper sushi rice and serve it at room temperature.  You will need ½ to 1 C per person, cooked.

Other additions (chilled):

• Assorted vegetables sliced or torn into pleasing, bite sized pieces (1/2 C per person total) of any combination.  Suggestions include, poached asparagus, sautéed okra, radishes, green onions, endive, butter lettuce, carrots, avocado, thinly sliced raw red onions, enoki mushrooms, alfalfa or radish sprouts, cooked sliced pumpkin.  Use whatever you think you would like chilled.
• Raw tuna or other fish (cubed or sashimi sliced).  You can serve this marinated or not.  See endnotes for a quick raw tuna marinade.
• Ikura (salmon roe) that is marinated in sake and coconut aminos (or soy sauce).  See endnotes for the method.

Other additions (hot/warm):

Tempura or broiled coconut shrimp.  About 4 pieces per person.  Recipe not included. (I put a hazelnut and sesame sauce over mine. That’s why they look kind of weird in the picture. In retrospect, I should have just left them alone.)

Sauces:

• Coconut aminos to share generously.  Some may prefer soy sauce.
• Wasabi mayonnaise (1 T per person), best squirted over the veg. (Basically, mix mayo with wasabi paste to the spiciness you like, put in a baggie, cut corner off, and squirt over the food in a crazy pattern.)

SHOPPING LIST

5 lb Cal Rose Rice (way more than you will need, but why not have a bunch handy?) 1 firm but ripe avocado 1 bunch green onions Carrots Red or Daikon radishes Enoki mushrooms or some sprouts Coconut aminos Sake Wasabi paste (buy it in a tube) Sesame oil Rice wine vinegar Sesame seeds Hot chili paste Mayonnaise (although, making your own is best!) Coconut shrimp (buy prepared or look up a recipe to make) Quality tuna Salmon roe Seaweed sheets (or even the seaweed sheet snacks)

Assembly:

This dish is really one for an assembly process.  Plate your rice in the middle (use a little bowl if you want it perfectly rounded) and surround it with your veggies, shrimp and marinated tuna.  Spoon the marinated salmon roe on top of the rice.  Squirt the spicy mayo over your fish and veg.  Sprinkle a bit of diced seaweed sheet/snack over the top.  Serve with aminos or soy sauce on the side.

*Quick Raw Tuna Marinade (good for poke as well). Makes enough for 8 oz of cubed raw tuna.  Toss and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes:

• 3 T coconut aminos
• 3 T rice wine vinegar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T hot chili paste
• 1 t sesame seeds

*Ikura marinade. This is enough for 2 people. Toss and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes:

• 1/4 C fresh or frozen salmon roe
• 2 t sake
• 2 t coconut aminos or soy sauce

Stay briny,

–Stacey

P.S. Most of my recipes are Wise Traditions and/or Plant Paradox Friendly. Why did I not list this one as either? Depending upon where you source your ingredients, you may end up with some classically Japanese sauces, which often contain MSG (a no-no for both food pathways). Sake would not be high on the Wise Traditions list, and unless you make the rice in a pressure cooker or soak it long term, that would be a caution for claiming either. However, all the above said, I do believe you can make this compatible with either. I did not provide the directions above to make it so. Thus, I did not label it with either category. Maybe later I will edit it to show how it can easily be adapted to either eating tradition.