SSushi

Why does sushi that I make at home doesn’t taste like restaurant sushi?


Made this the other night, but why does my made at home sushi don’t taste like restaurant ones? What am I doing wrong 🥲
I of course use sushi rice and fresh raw fish

43 comments

  1. Nothing I make ever tastes the same, it doesn’t matter if it’s completely identical and other people can’t even tell the difference. I always can.

  2. For nigiri at least, the literal only variables are the quality of the fish and the preparation of the rice. If your nigiri isn’t as good as restaurant nigiri, start there. Once you’ve got that dialed in, the rest of your sushi will likely improve too. If at all possible, try to sample the restaurant’s sushi rice on its own. Everything layers on top of that.

    [edit] some restaurants might wasabi-press or brush their nigiri with nikiri — that may be another factor but I doubt it’s nearly as important as the fish and rice. In any case, nigiri is the thing I would start your troubleshooting with. There are likely too many variables in the rolls to start there.

  4. For me the biggest hurdle to get over to get my sushi closer to the taste of restaurant sushi was the rice. The rice has to be just right or it all falls apart. Get cooking and seasoning your rice correctly down and you’ll see a huge improvement.

  5. Ingredients aren’t the same level of quality, you don’t have a trained palate, and you lack the same level of execution and mastery.

    It’s kind of insulting to pro cooks that people think they can just do the same thing at home and it will be just as good, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be able to cook really well.

    There’s nothing wrong with what you made if you enjoy it, just keep doing it over and over and over and over again and you’ll get better over time. Put in the work before expecting the results.

  6. You’re probably not making the rice correctly. It’s very hard to make sushi rice just right. Rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and you have to cook the rice a little on the al dente side and make sure it’s cooled fully before making sushi

  8. Incoming rant warning:

    Ah, I completely understand. I think that when I make sushi at home the “cali” rolls are always too sweet, I think it’s the brand of Krab.

    Also, it’s really easy to try to overpack the rice, making it kind of mushy. At home, I think in the excitement of a fun kitchen project it gets a bit rushed, if that makes sense, and the rice doesn’t cool down enough, or I don’t really take enough time to do it properly because I’m so pumped lol.

    I think also when you purchase fish, you usually can’t go nutso so a lot of the rolls are similar-ish.

    Don’t forget chefs are (usually) awesome at what they do. They also have prep cooks etc that help with the processing of the veggies, etc. it takes practice to learn to julienne cucumber, etc.

    If you are into Americanized sushi, (no judgements! I love it too) restaurants have access to deep fryers, which allows for a lot of fun textural options. Yeah, I know you can fry at home but it’s normally kind of a process.

    The cuts of fish matter too, don’t be so hard on yourself for not having perfection without putting in the dedication/years of practice. 🙂

    I think a really good solution might be to practice cutting veggies and maybe just get a few orders of sushi rice as takeout from a local place you like. It’s usually only a couple of bucks. You can practice making the cone sushi?

    Any experts wanna chime in? I have a question about nori: do higher end places toast it before making maki rolls?

    Side note: The wasabi available at stores is usually gross (squeeze kind in a mini tube?)

  10. Probably same reason your title doesn’t sound right lol

    Almost always, something someone else you pay makes for you will taste better than when you make it yourself.

  11. it looks great! don’t be hard on yourself. Expert sushi chefs train for years just to prepare the rice. YEARS. FOR RICE. Nevermind the fish prep, which is a whole other level.

  12. It’s not commonly understood that sushi is actually a rice dish, not a fish dish. So it can’t be emphasized enough that the preparation and use of the rice is extremely important.

    It’s said that when you become an apprentice under a top sushi master, it can take up to three years before you understand how to select, blend, wash, cook and flavor the rice.

    Then, learning how to properly form the sushi rice in your hand also takes years. For a nigiri, the sushi rice needs to be only lightly and quickly molded in your hand so that each rice grain maintains it’s integrity and isn’t smushed and has “air pockets” in between each grain. On the other hand, it can not be so lightly made that it easily falls apart.

    When a sushi master places the finished sushi on your plate from his hand, the sushi will actually “sink” a tiny bit because of how lightly and carefully it’s made.

    Understanding how to properly select and process fish can also take years.

    It’s said that how you cut the fish can effect how the fish tastes.

    Sushi may seem like such a simple dish with only a few ingredients but it is because it’s “simple” that it is difficult to master.

    Having said that, there are different levels of sushi chefs from those that work at the corner neighborhood grocery store to the top restaurants in Ginza. But even those that work at the grocery store need to understand the basics in order to make “good enough” sushi.

    Adding mayo based sauces, chives, cucumbers, avocado etc can make properly rolling the sushi difficult as the fats and/or the loose vegetables can cause the filling to slip and not roll properly. For the maki rolls, you might want to start with just a simple tuna (only) roll until you get a good technique down.

    Space the rice out cleanly and evenly.

    When adding loose ingredients like chives, scallions or cucumbers, add them first/closest to you so that when you roll the sushi, it gets rolled first and held in by everything else.

    Be gentle with rolling so as not to squash the rice.

    Make sure your knife is very, very sharp. Also a longer knife will be better when cutting/slicing to minimizing going back and forth in a sawing motion. Use long, even motions when slicing from one edge of the knife to the other. It should only require one slice when cutting fish and one, maybe two and a bit slices when cutting maki rolls depending on the size of the maki. It’s worth mentioning again, make sure your knife is very sharp.

    Try to buy fish from a reputable Japanese or Korean grocery store. They will usually have the fish in nice sized, clean blocks all ready to be sliced as is. If you buy your own large fillet, the fish is more likely to come out irregular and possibly more difficult to cut and the consistency will be off.

  14. Did you season your rice? If you haven’t, try rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and mirin. Mix it while the rice is still hot

    Source- I’m a chef trained in Japanese cuisine

  15. Mostly because you’re making it, that’s it for me anyway. I spend a lot of time on my sushi and I swear it just tastes better when someone else makes it. Of course it’s still good to me, but by the time i’m done it’s just so meh.

  21. Its 90% of the time the rice, practice a lot and do you use the rice vinegar/salt/sugar at the end to cool it off etc? It does a big difference on the taste. The rice itself should be good enough to be eaten alone so it just get magnified by the other ingredients

  22. What brand and type of rice are you using exactly?

    Are you adding the rice vinegar mixture (sushi-zu) to the cooked rice?

    I find most people making it at home are using what’s convenient whereas Japanese restaurants tend to be very particular about their choice of rice, rice seasoning, and ingredients.

    This doesn’t even consider that some kitchens are exacting about the rice prep and ingredient prep which sometimes includes small seasoning steps depending on the chef.

  25. Start with the rice. What is your vinegar mixture recipe? Are you using a rice cooker? What kind of rice?

  26. Probably the vinegar seasoning and sauces. Don’t be afraid of using a lot.

  27. It’s the rice. Guaranteed. You’ve got to season and prepare it just right.

    ETA: someone else posted the Minado rice recipe. The kombu in that recipe is critical. A good rice cooker is a worthwhile investment. I also use specific rices – I usually use Kokuho Rose, I’ve also liked Koshihikari.

  30. I have been making sushi at home for over 15 years and was trained by some chefs. I think the biggest item that made my sushi rice easier was a GOOD quality rice cooker. I emphasize good. Not a cheapie from Walmart or Target. A few hundred dollars on a Japanese or Korean brand will last many years and some even have a sushi setting. Mine even holds the rice warm for a few days without sacrificing quality. I can make sushi rice on Friday and make sushi a few times over the weekend which I typically do. The next thing is the vinegar seasoning. It’s typically salt and sugar. I have found that different chefs have their own ratio and you will have to find a balance that you like. I also let a piece of Komboku (dried Kelp) sit in mine for flavor. Once again, seasoning is the chefs choice. The fish comes next and should be of high quality if eaten raw. I have in a pinch used the stuff from the super market. I prefer sushi grade fish from the fish market but it isn’t always an option. Another source is a good Oriental market. Sometimes sushi restaurants will order fish for me once I have gotten to know them. Lol. You can also order online and have shipped to your house. The sushi nori (seaweed) should be quality as well. I get mine from the Asian market. I agree yours looks great! Have fun and be creative. The more you practice the better you will get. If you even need help shoot me a message!

  31. Just came to say you should be proud of that presentation! Looks like a to go order from a local spot so kudos!

  32. It’s the rice.

    You need to add a bit of white rice vinegar and salt before you steam/pressure cook the rice (after it is very well washed)

    The best stuff is at Asian markets and on Amazon. The bottles are all Japanese with a small label in English on the back.

    Oh and the knife cuts- if the knife isn’t super sharp or the fish is cut a little off, it will impact the texture and overall bite.

  35. Is your sushi rice Koshihikari rice? Yutaka rice is sometimes used as “sushi rice”, but they have different texture. It’s up to preference but Yutaka is less glutinous, slightly longer in appearance, and will taste different. There are many other short grain rice variations that pass for sushi rice, but that maybe the issue.

  36. Most of what you are preparing and cooking is a combination of a Korean dish known as Kimbap and a variety of Japanese Sushi dishes/rolls.

    https://amp.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3089435/which-came-first-sushi-or-kimbap-japan-and-korea-tangle

    You should use a special kind of rice called Calrose rice because when cooked, it is soft and sticky. To maximize the use of this rice, it is better to be cooked in a steamer/slow cooker than boiled in water. If you don’t have a steamer, then boiling it in water is okay.

    https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-calrose-rice/

    Once the rice has been steamed cooked, you can spread it on the dry seaweed. There is a big difference in the preparation of rice for these 2 different types of dishes.

    https://www.beyondkimchee.com/kimbap/

    Understanding the different types of sushi helps and how they are prepared and made.

    https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3906/types-of-sushi.html

    I hope these references are a good help to get you on your way to making your dishes taste authentic!

    May your dishes taste better than the restaurants!

  38. Alot of people mentioned its the Rice. True. But not all sushi rice is the same. I’ve tried 3 “local” short grain rice and it doesn’t compare. Best one I’ve tasted made at home is Japanese Koshikari short grain rice where 10lb is $30. Also how its cook. I only wash my jasmin rice once, on the other hand Sushi rice i wash and rinse 3-4x to get rid of extra starch. I also used less water this depends heavily on the rice cooker brand to have that individual grain texture.

  39. Being that you said “sushi rice”… more-likely-than-not your rice is sub-par. Preparing koshihikari right for restaurant-level sushi is no small feat.

    Not that it’s likely that it’s the major contributor to the problem (again, that would be the rice)… it should be noted that your wasabi saying “From Japan” and “Authentic Japanese” is the condiment equivalent of [Buscemi’s “how do you do, fellow kids”](https://youtu.be/fiOMbqPHFwo?t=28).

  40. Takes years and years to make restaurant-type sushi and they have their own ratio of seasonings and where they get their their rice. Also, water used in rice makes a huge difference too. If you have some $$$, go to Japan and experience their real sushi. You’ll be amazed. Their sushi is so very different from ones here. 14 hours by airplane to Tokyo.

  41. Sushi rice is really important and that it is seasoned properly as well as the fish being fresh. But I will say it’s looks good.

  42. There are two primary reasons:

    * The rice cooker is commercial gas cooker. This is the main reason. Retail consumer-grade cookers are electric.
    * Many fish are seasoned, not ‘raw’ or fresh, as is the typical perception.

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