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