Eating Local Amaebi

Not many people know that California is known for its spot prawns. The spot prawn, also known as "amaebi" in sushi bars, is actually a shrimp. Shrimp have small side flaps that overlap on the first through third abdominal segments and prawns have first and second anterior segments that are closely the same size. Its OK if you didn't notice that either...

Santa Barbara Spot Prawn

People who live on the West Coast are fortunate to be able to get live spot prawns, as they live up and down the coast. A lot of these prawns are caught in the Santa Barbara Channel and San Diego area. They're kept alive in cooled oxygenated tanks. Most of the spot prawns are sold alive, while the others are shipped frozen. Besides restaurants and speciality seafood markets, chances are that you won't find many live spot prawn tanks. Once they die, an enzyme spreads through the body and the meat becomes mushy.

Spot prawns have a very sweet flavor and in Japanese, "amaebi" means sweet shrimp. Most Japanese restaurants serve amaebi raw at the sushi bar.

I was visiting Sushi Dragon in Sun Valley this week. As one of my sushi bar favorites, I ordered "amaebi" sushi. I was lucky enough to get a spot prawn that was a female, so I was also served the "amaebi roe" with a quail egg. There isn't anything better than roe prepared properly with one of the freshest quail eggs I've ever had, they get them from local farmer.

Amaebi Roe (with Quail Egg) and Spot Prawn Sushi

Chef Tommy Kosaka at Sushi Dragon is an experienced chef who has the "head to tail" mind set and uses the entire fish or prawn in this case. For his customers, they're able to try a part of the fish that most have never had before. Chef Tommy spends a lot of his free time in and around the ocean, some mornings you can find him at a local beach surfing.

Deep Fried Amaebi Heads

And YES, the amaebi heads were served just after being served sushi. I realize that not many chefs have the background or training to serve most parts of fish in a delicious manner, meaning we don't want to have "Fear Factor" when dining out. I have some stories, but will have to be for another time... With the problem of overfishing, we must conserve our food supply for generations to come. You might even find out that you like a certain fish part that is usually discarded.

Stay tuned to UMI for more sushi tips and let's continue to eat sushi one fish at a time. If you visit Sushi Dragon, tell Chef Tommy to Hang Ten!

Chef Tommy Kosaka

Sushi Dragon

8069 Vineland Avenue

Sun Valley, CA 91352

Article and photographs by Jay Terauchi

Out of the Sea - Ocean Fresh Fish

Out of the Sea…

Over the past few months, we’ve met many chefs who have talked about the lesser known varieties of great tasting fish. We came across a few on a recent trip to Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Inc in Los Angeles. We saw a lot of different types of fish and here’s a few that caught our eye:

Striped Jack or Shima Aji

Have I got a recipe to introduce you to…

My All-Time Favorite – Spanish Mackerel

Unusual findings too…

So many chefs are talking about local sardines

UMI thanks Mr. Young Kim and Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Co., Inc for the visit, we’ll be back when we can spend more time.

We’re now off to try some different types of sushi and hope you do too, One Fish at a time…

Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Co., Inc.

1100 South Santa Fe Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90021

(213) 622-3677

Article and Photos by Jay Terauchi and Jeffrey Nitta

A Hidden Sushi Gem - Sushi Hanada

When thinking about sushi in Los Angeles, a lot of well known celebrity places come to mind. We found a hidden sushi gem for some of the best sushi I've had outside of Japan, located about an hour North of Los Angeles.

We had the pleasure of being served by Chef Yuki Hanada of Sushi Hanada in Port Hueneme. You don’t find many traditional sushi places around anymore nor will you find a sushi chef that has the knowledge and experience that he has. Traditional sushi begins with the use of local fish and Chef Yuki uses the best possible local ingredients available.

Sashimi Course

Most people don’t understand is the importance of fish preparation; a good chef can bring out the flavor profile of seafood on so many levels. Chef Yuki is one of those master chefs who not only can create a beautiful dish, but also a very tasty one too.

(Left) Squid, Cherrystone Clam, Sea Eel

Chef Yuki’s doesn’t serve a lot of sushi rolls, so you won’t find rainbow rolls on the menu. But you will find some of the most flavorful fish and traditional sushi available. He's a true sushi master.

We thank Yuki-san for an evening filled with unbelievable sushi and great conversation. We’ll be back again…

(Left) Jay Terauchi, Nick Sakagami, Chef Yuki Hanada, Jeffrey Nitta

UMI will continue to introduce you to experienced chefs, One Fish at a time…

Please tell Chef Yuki that UMI says Hello!


Sushi Hanada
475 W. Channel Islands Blvd
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
(805) 984-7978

Edomae Sushi: How Today's Nigiri Sushi Began...

We don’t really know where sushi actually came from or who invented it. It can be said that sushi was a way to preserve fish and has been around for many centuries. Back then, whole fish would be salted and packed in steamed rice. A chemical reaction would occur and the fish would be preserved. Months later when it came time to eat the fish, the rice would be discarded and the fish eaten. Trevor Corson, author of “The Story of Sushi”, describes the taste of this early sushi as “pungent aged cheese, with butter and vinegar overtones.” It was much different than the pristine fish and rice that we enjoy today.

Edomae Sushi from the early 1800s

Description of the sushi above

This style of sushi dates back to the early 1800’s in Tokyo or Edo, as it was known back then. Edomae means “Tokyo Front” or Tokyo style of sushi with fish from Tokyo Bay. They used the local fish which they caught in the Tokyo Bay area. Majority of the seafood used was Sea Bream, Horse Mackerel, Squid, Mackerel, Tiger Prawns, Gizzard Shad, and many others. The sushi size (fish and rice) was much larger than today’s nigiri sushi and would be consumed in 2-3 bites.

Sushi was sold at stands around Edo (Tokyo), these stands were about the size of today’s hot dog carts. I guess you can say it was an early version of today's Fast Food. These sushi stands had a roof and a noren hanging over the stand, a cloth usually with the proprietor’s name on it. Back then, Zagat and Yelp weren’t around to help you decide where to eat. So you looked at the noren, the dirtier it was the better. Once customers finished with their sushi, they would wipe their hands on the cloth hanging above and go on their way. Hard to believe that sushi began in the streets.

Sushi originated from using local seafood. Ask your chef if they have any local fish and then try it, you might like it.

Continue to eat sushi and UMI will continue to educate you One Fish at a time.

Article by Jay Terauchi

"TUNA" on NHK World

The King of the Sushi Bar will be featured this Thursday (March 4th) on NHK World's "BEGIN Japanology". They'll take a look at Japan’s most popular fish, TUNA, and explore questions such as “As stocks decline and international quotas are adopted, can Japan’s voracious appetite for tuna be met through new methods such as breeding the fish from eggs?”

We'll be watching, will you? It shows that others are concerned about tuna too. Continue to enjoy sushi and follow UMI One Fish at a time. Arigato...

For more NHK World information on this program: http://tinyurl.com/ydmaln3

First Certified Fish Master in US

Congratulations to Tetsuya Nick Sakagami for being the First Certified Osakana Meister (Fish Master) in the United States. This Japanese course is for experienced fish and restaurant industry personnel and covers information dating back to the early centuries when fish was the main source of food and had to be preserved since there was no refrigeration. Back then, the Japanese invented methods to preserve fish and studied how bacteria interact with the human body. This Osakana Meister Program includes fish science, fishing practices, fish farming throughout the world, fish knowledge, crustaceans, shellfish, seaweed, processed seafood, health and safety, and seafood handling.

Currently, there are a total of 115 Osakana Meisters worldwide with one in the US. These Fish Masters have the knowledge and understanding of our ocean friends. UMI’s very own Tetsuya Nick Sakagami will be sharing his vast knowledge with everyone in the “Osakana’s Corner” at www.uminpo.org.

Congratulations Nick! We hope to learn more from you One Fish at a time.

Tetsuya Nick Sakagami (Left) receiving his Osakana Meister Certification

For information on the Osakana Meister - Program: http://tinyurl.com/yaj2mq5

Congratulations Logan Kock!

Congratulations Logan Kock on your promotion to Vice President of Strategic Purchasing & Responsible Sourcing, what a great resource Santa Monica Seafood has in you. It was a pleasure learning about Santa Monica Seafood and finding out how passionate you are about fish. With all of your ocean experience, you’re a true waterman and educator of the sea. UMI is proud to have a source like you with an unlimited background.

We’re happy to learn more from you One Fish at a time.

Logan Kock (Left) shows UMI's Nick Sakagami around the facility

Now that's a Lobster!

Photos by Jeffrey Nitta