Raw fish for sushi/sashimi

[Haffiana]

Actually I want to make a Hawaiian Poke which is a sort of deconstructed sushi...! I also want to make rather a LOT of it, for a gathering. I want to use salmon rather than tuna.

Does anyone have any experience with buying raw fish for sushi?

Waitrose sell what looks like a very high quality salmon fillet on their fish counter. I would order it in so that it is as fresh as possible.

Or should I try to find a Japanese fishmonger (not easy as I am not going to be doing this in London)?

I would order mine from The Fish Society and get it delivered - they sell actual sashimi/sushi grade fish
www.thefishsociety.co.uk/by-fish-type/raw-fish/sashimi/?p=1

Just a word of caution from a sushi lover (Poke is delicious). Fish used for sushi, I.e. eaten raw, should be deep frozen for a period of time to kill any parasites that might be there. It is not considered safe to eat certain fish raw when it is fresh and not frozen. I don't know if this applies to shellfish, but the poke I have had is mostly tuna (ahi in Hawaii). Believe it or not Costcos on the Hawaiian Islands sell awesome poke! Wish I could have some right now.

Hi, OP. tryingtobebetterallthetime is correct and it's a shame more people don't know this - 'sushi grade' fish has always been frozen for a period of time, to kill off parasites. (Cooking also kills off parasites! That's why we do it) So many people rave about "fresh fish" when they talk about sushi, but for most of us, actually eating fish raw off the dock could lead to serious sickness. If you go to a supermarket fish counter - better yet, a decent fishmonger - and ask for 'sushi grade' fish, they will have some that has been frozen properly. Your own freezer at home isn't really up to it. Whole Foods has some in a separate freezer too.

Yes, that applies to wild salmon certainly. Farmed UK salmon is however considered safe to eat raw as it does not have the parasites.

Not all species of fish have parasites either. This is something a Japanese fishmonger would know. Therefore not all fish for sushi is frozen. UK farmed salmon would not be frozen for sale in Japanese sushi...

I am asking if anyone has used Waitrose salmon for sushi?

Yeah I use Waitrose salmon for sushi and poke all the time. Not dead or ill yet but not sure that’s anything to go by!

My Waitrose don’t let you order in to the fish counter, however I go early morning as it’s by work and buy my piece, then they stood it in the customer fridge in customer services until I pick it up.