Sashimi is not sushi and understanding why makes you a better cook

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1. What is sashimi?
2. What is the difference between sashimi and sushi?
3. What are the most common types of sashimi?
4. What thickness should sashimi be cut?
   1. White fish (tai, flounder, halibut)
   2. Salmon
   3. Tuna
   4. Squid and octopus
   5. The cutting motion
5. How do you serve and plate sashimi?
6. How do you make sashimi at home?
7. Is sashimi safe to eat at home?

Most people who eat at sushi restaurants have ordered sashimi and thought of it as a type of sushi. It is not. Sashimi is a distinct dish with a distinct culinary identity in Japanese cuisine. The defining characteristic of sushi is vinegared rice. Sashimi has no rice at all.

This distinction matters practically. A sashimi platter requires a sharper knife, a different cutting technique, and better fish than many maki rolls. The presentation relies entirely on the quality and freshness of the fish because there is nothing to hide behind. No rice. No nori. No seasoning beyond wasabi and soy sauce.

I started making sashimi at home in my third year. The technique is simpler than rolling, but the sourcing and preparation standards are stricter. When you get it right, a plate of fresh salmon or yellowtail sashimi is the clearest possible expression of what good fish tastes like.

What is sashimi?

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish served without rice. Not technically sushi. The word means pierced body in Japanese, referring to the cut method.

Sashimi is defined as thin slices of raw fish or seafood served cold, without rice or any other grain component. The primary accompaniments are soy sauce for dipping, wasabi for heat, and pickled ginger to cleanse the palate between different fish. A shiso leaf is the traditional garnish.

The dish is centuries older than modern sushi. Historical records of sashimi preparation in Japan date to the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). It predates the vinegared rice innovation that created modern sushi by several centuries.

Because sashimi contains no rice, it cannot technically be classified as a type of sushi. Despite this distinction, sashimi appears on every sushi restaurant menu and is eaten alongside sushi pieces as part of the same meal. The fish quality standard required for sashimi is identical to the standard required for nigiri sushi.

What is the difference between sashimi and sushi?

Sushi always contains vinegared rice. Sashimi has no rice. Both use the same quality fish. Most sushi restaurants serve them together on one menu.

The clearest way to understand the distinction is by the presence or absence of rice:

Nigiri sushi is the closest sushi type to sashimi. Nigiri consists of a slice of fish on a pressed mound of vinegared rice. The same fish piece that would be placed on rice for nigiri is served alone as sashimi. The fish is identical. The distinction is the rice.

A piece of salmon sashimi will taste more intensely of salmon than the same piece as nigiri, because the vinegared rice alters the flavour slightly and adds sweetness.

What are the most common types of sashimi?

Salmon, tuna in three cuts, yellowtail, sea bream, squid, octopus, and scallop are the standard types served at Japanese restaurants worldwide.

Salmon (sake) is the most popular sashimi fish worldwide. It is also the easiest to source sashimi-grade outside Japan. The high fat content means it is forgiving to slice because fat makes the flesh more cohesive under a knife.

Tuna is the prestige fish in traditional Japanese sashimi culture. The three cuts (akami, chutoro, otoro) from the same fish have dramatically different flavour profiles. Akami is the deep red lean loin. Chutoro is the medium-fatty belly section. Otoro is the very fatty belly, the most prized and most expensive cut in all of sushi culture.

What thickness should sashimi be cut?

White fish: 5 to 7 mm. Tuna: 8 to 10 mm to show the fatty texture. Squid and octopus are scored and cut very thin. Always cut against the grain.

The thickness of the slice determines the texture in the mouth. Too thin and the fish falls apart or tastes watery. Too thick and the texture becomes heavy and chewy.

White fish (tai, flounder, halibut)

5 to 7 mm. White fish has lower fat content and less structural cohesion than tuna. Slicing too thick produces a chewy, bland piece. The thinner cut allows the delicate flavour to come through.

Salmon

7 to 9 mm. Salmon falls between white fish and tuna in fat content. The slightly thicker cut showcases the orange colour and fat marbling in the cross-section.

Tuna

8 to 10 mm. The higher fat content in toro cuts needs a thicker slice to convey the texture correctly. Thin-sliced otoro tastes like a different product.

Squid and octopus

Score the flesh with shallow diagonal cuts before slicing very thin (3 to 4 mm). The scoring breaks the fibres that make cephalopods chewy. Without scoring, even thin-sliced squid is difficult to bite through.

The cutting motion

Always cut across the grain of the fish. The grain runs parallel to the spine. Cutting across it produces cohesive slices. Cutting with the grain produces pieces that separate into flakes.

Use a single pulling motion from heel to tip of the blade. Never saw. A sharp knife does the work. For the knife to use and how to maintain it, read the best sushi knives guide.

How do you serve and plate sashimi?

Fan 5 to 7 slices on a cold plate with wasabi, pickled ginger, and shiso leaf. Serve soy sauce in a small dipping dish alongside. Eat immediately.

The presentation of sashimi follows the Japanese principle of negative space. Leave clear areas between elements. The visual contrast between the fish colour and the white or black plate is part of the experience.

A standard single-serving sashimi portion is 5 to 7 slices of one fish type. For a mixed platter, arrange different fish in separate fans with clear visual separation between types. The traditional order from left to right is white fish, salmon, tuna. The shiso leaf divides sections.

Place a small amount of freshly grated or tube wasabi beside the fish. Serve pickled ginger on the side, not directly on the fish. The ginger is a palate cleanser between different fish types, not a flavour component of the sashimi itself.

Serve on a cold plate. Warm plates raise the fish temperature and accelerate deterioration. If serving for guests, chill the plates in the fridge for 10 minutes before plating.

How do you make sashimi at home?

Buy sushi-grade fish, chill to 4 to 8 degrees, wet the knife blade, and slice across the grain in one pull stroke. No cooking is required at all.

The process has four steps:

Source correctly. Buy from a fishmonger or online specialist who explicitly confirms their fish was frozen to FDA parasite-killing standards. For the full sourcing guide, read the fish and seafood hub.

Chill the fish. Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before slicing. The ideal slicing temperature is 4 to 8 degrees. Cold fish tears under the knife. Fish at room temperature is too soft to slice cleanly.

Prepare your knife. Use a sharp chef's knife or Japanese gyuto. Wet the blade with cold water before every cut. Wipe the blade clean every 3 to 4 slices to prevent buildup.

Cut with purpose. Find the grain direction. Place the fillet skin-side down. Angle the blade at about 30 degrees to the fillet. Draw from heel to tip in a single motion. Each slice should come free cleanly with no tearing.

For more detail on the slicing technique for each fish type, read the prepare fish guide.

Is sashimi safe to eat at home?

Yes, when fish was frozen to FDA standard: minus 20 C for 7 days. Buy only from a supplier who confirms this. Never use regular supermarket fish raw.

The food safety principle is straightforward. Freezing fish to minus 20 degrees Celsius for 7 days (or minus 35 degrees for 15 hours) kills the parasites that make raw fish consumption risky. Fish that has been through this process is safe to eat raw for most healthy adults.

The uncertainty in home sashimi making is usually about sourcing, not about the eating. Many fishmongers label fish as sashimi-grade without being able to confirm the exact freezing history. Ask directly: was this fish frozen to FDA parasite-killing standards? A good supplier answers this without hesitation.

Do not use regular supermarket fish for sashimi. Most supermarket fresh fish is intended for cooking and has not been through the required freezing process.

For salmon specifically, farm-raised Atlantic salmon has a lower parasite risk than wild-caught Pacific salmon and is the most beginner-friendly sashimi fish to source safely. See the full guide on sourcing and safety in the salmon guide and tuna guide.

Clare Farnell has been making sushi at home since 2021 and writes about Japanese home cooking, sushi tools, and kitchen equipment at sushi-planet.com.

Last updated: 19 May 2026.