Are you eating sushi all wrong?

cut seaweed sushi rolls
Sushi is an artform Credit: John White Photos / Alamy

We can't get enough raw fish and vinegared rice: the UK sushi market is worth £38.9 million per annum. Itsu has 50 sushi restaurants in London, while Wasabi has 35 and 65 of YO! Sushi’s 75 outlets are based in the UK, serving over 5 million customers a year. 

But are we eating it all wrong? 

You see, there is strict etiquette to follow when eating sushi. Here are some tips to help you maximise your sushi experience.

1. Eat cut sushi rolls with your hands. If you struggle to use chopsticks this traditional method will allow you to enjoy your meal without dropping the sushi.

2. Eat cut rolls in one bite. It is considered rude to bite the roll in half as the chef spent time making the sushi perfect. If it is too big to eat in one go, tell the chef and he can make adjustments.

3. Never combine ginger and sushi. Ginger is meant to cleanse the palette between bites. It is bad manners to eat the ginger with sushi.

4. Take care not to add too much soy sauce when dipping your roll. You should add just enough to taste the soy sauce but not enough to overwhelm the flavour.

5. Only dip the fish in soy sauce when eating nigiri (raw fish over pressed vinegared rice). Tokyo sushi chef Naomichi Yasuda says: “The most important element of sushi is rice. Rice is the main ingredient. People talk about the fish, but the fish is the second ingredient.”

The rice holds the sushi together. It requires careful preparation to create the perfect texture using a precise combination of vinegar and temperature. You should use chopsticks, or your hands, to turn the sushi on its side and then dip only the fish in soy sauce, not the rice. Do not shake soy sauce off the sushi after dipping.

6. The perfect amount of wasabi has already been included in nigiri, but if you want more, add only a small amount. It is considered rude to add a great dollop of extra wasabi. If you take too much wasabi and your mouth feels like it's on fire, breathe through your nose to get rid of the burning feeling.

Only dip the fish in soy sauce when eating Nigiri Credit: © 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP./Yuriko Nakao

7. To maximise the flavour, eat the fish in a certain order. Start light with the white fish, followed by the silver and then red fish. Then eat richer flavours such as salmon. The fattiest fish comes last, followed by the egg roll which acts like a dessert. Ordering simple rolls signifies that you are ending your order.

8. Don’t tip the chef. If you wish to thank him for the sushi buy him some sake.

UK sushi masters will be showcasing their creations at the HYPER JAPAN Sushi Awards held at the London Tobacco dock Christmas market 27-29th of November this year.