Where is there sushi grade fish near Arlington, TX please?

[l3randonf]

I have become very discouraged in my quest to roll my own sushi. I cannot seem to find any solid information on where to find sushi grade fish. Central Market is the only store that I called that has given me any confidence when I ask them if they sell sushi grade fish. Has anyone tried their fish raw? I'm particularly interested in salmon and yellowtail.

Please help me find sushi grade fish near Arlington, TX that isnt in North Dallas or somewhere over an hour away.

Thanks so much for any help/links/phone numbers !

[jindomommy]

I am by no means advocating the following practice, just sharing something I've done in the past. I once bought a beautiful piece of salmon from a very reputable fishmonger and saw the glistening (not previously frozen) flesh. It looked like the beautiful fish I had grown up with back home. Previously frozen fish doesn't have that glistening flesh. I was supposed to cook it, but couldn't help myself and just hacked off a piece and ate it with soy sauce and wasabi. I've now done this for years with salmon belly. With ahi, you have to be able to eye it to see whether it's sashimi grade. My grandfather sold ahi, so I can tell, but most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I will probably end up at least once in the ER, so I don't recommend this practice. A fishmonger told me that you should freeze the fish for 3 days before eating it raw. The problem with buying these frozen blocks of fish at CM is you have no idea how long it's been in deep freeze, maybe two years??? I recommend buying really great salmon (belly portion) and tuna and freezing it for 3 days. At least you know it hasn't been sitting in a freezer for a couple of years. BTW...I'm in Florida eating raw, fresh, never frozen tuna from Costa Rica. California might be expensive for tuna. I bet Florida would have cheaper prices.

[l3randonf]

I highly doubt fish at CM has been in freeze longer than a couple weeks

[l3randonf]

Barbara, I still need to get a knife of some kind in order to make all this happen. haha.

You just use a regular all purpose chef knife that is really sharp?

Is there really a need for a sashimi knife?

[jindomommy]

All I can write is that by the time the fish is caught, packaged, and shipped you are already at least a week out. CM now sells those frozen blocks of ahi in the freezer between the meat and seafood counter. I shop at CM every five days and at $10 for a tiny block, the ahi blocks are not flying out of the freezer. The fishmonger there told me that's also the ahi they sell behind the counter. At a really good sushi restaurant, I would expect the fish not to have been frozen longer than a couple of months. Top sushi restaurants really utilize the frozen sushi when ahi is "out of season." In the winter months, the ahi swims down deeper into the water. It's fattier and that's how you get the highly desired toro, but it is not as plentiful. As waters warm, the fish come to the surface and are much more plentiful. Ahi prices spike in January, coinciding with the New Years when toro and maguro are very much in demand. Thus during the winter months, ahi can become scarce and frozen becomes the more reasonable alternative for sushi bars, even in Japan. (By US law, all restaurant fish served raw must be frozen. However, the enforcement is quite lax.). From my own personal experience with my grandfather who froze ahi for up to two months prior to the New Year (and it still tasted great, but you have to freeze the fish whole. Blocks are not as good), I'm pretty confident that CM's fish has been frozen for much longer than a few weeks. CM fishmongers are not sushi chefs who are highly trained in the care and preparation of fish. They would not think twice about how long those blocks have been in the freezer. Sushi chefs in Japan go to auction and get the whole fish and prep it. Old school sushi restaurants did not get fish delivered to them in prefrozen blocks. It's sad that with the proliferation of sushi restaurants, anyone with a Karate Kid bandana can prepare "sushi." For Dallas, I think that TJ's sells great ahi. I've talked to the owner and they sell a much better product. I would feel much more confident buying from TJ's. The owner of Rex's lived in Hawaii, but TJ's is much better.

[air]

Surprised no one has mentioned TJ's, as referenced in this older thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/678318

Also is Wild Sushi in FW right? Can you provide more details on how they prepare the rice? I have a friend who spends time in FW during the week and I'd love to tell him where to get some decent sushi without having to make a big drive or wait until he comes back to Dallas on weekends. He's had downright awful experiences at Piranha and Sushi Axiom. In other words, keep in mind that he is the type that does not want rolls laced with cream cheese/avocado.

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Sushi Axiom
4625 Donnelly Ave Ste 101, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Wild Sushi
4386 Western Center Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76137

[Barbara76137]

Wild Sushi
4386 Western Center Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76137

Not sure about the rice preparation, so I'll have to ask next time I go. My first crop of daikon sprouts are almost ready, so I'm taking a bunch of them there next time. Gotta love the hot weather for growing veggies quickly here! :)

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Wild Sushi
4386 Western Center Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76137

[dolphinsfan]

I'm new to the area, too, and still scoping things out. I bought sushi grade tuna at Market Street in Frisco over the weekend... it was excellent. I'm not sure whether they have it all the time or just on occaision. Good luck!

[Barbara76137]

I gave up trying to find sushi/sashimi grade fish around here. I used to have a few places in Southern CA that I'd trust when I lived there, but I haven't found anything here in DFW. I don't think there is the demand here and therefore you won't find the turnover.

I've been overnighting my fish from Catalina Offshore Products in San Diego. http://www.catalinaop.com
I've ordered a wide variety of fish from them and I've never been disappointed.

[l3randonf]

Ok but you have to buy TWO POUNDS minimum. So do you just freeze all of it?

[l3randonf]

I wonder where all the sushi restaurants around here get their fish from? Perhaps they overnight it too. Also, what places have you tried in this area?

[Barbara76137]

I've bought fish at Central Market, Market Street, Sprouts and Whole Foods and none of it has been as fresh as what I could get in CA. All of the fish I get from Catalina Offshore is vacuum-packed and frozen. I was told by a sushi chef that most of the sushi/sashimi grade fish they use is frozen....something about the parasites being killed off in the freezing process.

Even for non-sushi purposes I'd rather pull a piece of top quality fish out of my freezer and cook it or prepare sushi with it as soon as it is thawed vs. buying something that has been thawing in a meat counter for who knows how long.

I normally will buy a few varieties of tuna, salmon, eel, roe and then some non-sashimi quality fish to make up my order.

[l3randonf]

Ok, thanks for all of your information.

How long do you keep your fish frozen in the freezer? It would seem that it would be in there for many weeks at a time right? Since they make you buy like 2 pounds per order. I'm assuming it all thaws out real nicely and still tastes great after weeks or months in the freeze?

[Barbara76137]

I've probably had it in the freezer 6-8 weeks at most. I tend to pig out on sushi so that disappears first. I think right now I'm down to one piece of halibut (non-sashimi) from my last order.

See, you are being a bad influence on me :) I think I need to order more this week!

[l3randonf]

Hahahaha...

Well, I just called CM in Fort Worth, TX and they said that I could select sashimi grade fish from their selection that is still frozen. I think I will give it a try since I don't have to buy two pounds + shipping from catalina.

They also said that they have a company that comes in during the morning hours and uses CM's fish to make and package sushi for consumption by customers that day. This gives me confidence in their fish as well.

[Barbara76137]

You'll have to let me know how it is! All of the people behind the fish counter at the Ft. Worth Central Market have always been really nice. They've tolerated me when I've bought the seafood for cioppino for one :) I'd ask for two of this or one of this or a little piece of that.

[l3randonf]

I will.

Does CM have all the utensils and knives I need? The nori..and the seasoned vinegar for the rice...etc..etc.?

[Barbara76137]

not sure, but I would assume they have it. I use my good knives that I use for everything else. I have nori and seasoned vinegar that I bought at a store in Richardson, not sure of the name.

One thing I'm really having trouble finding here are radish sprouts. I absolutely have to have them in my salmon skin or spicy tuna hand rolls. I grow most of my own herbs so I'm not sure if I could grow radish sprouts. I really don't know where I'd begin.

[l3randonf]

what kind of knife would you recommend? There are so many kinds...titanium...stainless steel...all purpose chefs knife..sashimi knife... etc etc

[Barbara76137]

I really don't know anything about knives. I just have a set that I bought many years ago and I make sure they are super sharp. I'd really like to take a "knife skills" class at Central Market or Market Street.

Have you made your sushi yet? You'll have to post when you do and let everyone know how it turned out!

In the meantime, your post got me drooling for sushi so I visited Wild Sushi which is really close to home. Everyone is really nice there, but I'd rather communicate directly with the sushi chef instead of the waitstaff. I think the sushi chef felt the same way. I just had some edamame, maguro, hamachi, sake and a salmon skin hand roll. Of course they didn't have daikon sprouts, but now I think I've solved that problem.

Yesterday I planted daikon sprouts on my balcony. I found an online source for Asian vegetables and they were really fast and efficient with my order. Now I'm trying to figure out what else I want to grow that I can't buy here in Fort Worth!

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Wild Sushi
4386 Western Center Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76137