Spring Sushi Feast
Sea to You, the sashimi and sushi supplier on Boston's fish pier, had their annual spring sale on Saturday, March 20th. Since we knew about the sale, since we try to do something special every month on the 20th, and since we had recently attempted another all-you-can-eat (and more) sushi week, we decided to have the ultimate sushi feast at our place.
9:05--Robert and I join a long line of people snaking out of the refrigerator compartments at Sea to You. We load our basket with fish, fish, and more fish: an entire half (Robert says the left half) of yellowtail (hamachi), an entire fillet of salmon, a pound of chopped maguro tuna, another pound of bluefin tuna fillet, and two pounds of otoro (tuna belly). We also buy tamago (sweetened omelet cakes) and unagi (barbecued eel), as well as oba leaves for garnishes. After a quick stop at Target for a walk-through (Robert had not yet been to the brand-new Target near us) and breakfast at their Starbucks, we hurry home to put away our fish.
1:00--We shower, dress, and relax before starting work on the feast.
2:10--Robert and I start preparing sushi rice and slicing and deboning the fish.
5:00--I start assembling nigiri.
5:45--David, Wai Yee, and Wai Yee's cousin arrive with even more fish from a Sea to You jaunt of their own, and we start slicing the new arrival fish and continue assembling more nigiri.
6:30--Now joined by Jef, Debbie, and Liwen and Tyrone, and soon to be joined by Annie and a friend of hers from class, we sit down to eat the first course: almost 300 nigiri of hamachi, toro, maguro, and salmon, accompanied by Japanese barley tea. I broil the unagi and bring it fresh to the table in the middle of the course. Most people are rapidly becoming very full.
7:30--We begin the second course:do-it-yourself temaki, or handrolls, with all the above fish plus spicy shrimp, negi-tuna, four kinds of tobiko, avocado, cucumber, and uni. Soon, everyone is very very full.
7:45--David sticks out his stomach to show how full he is.
8:15--Liwen and Tyrone continue nibbling as we start to clear off. People who eat a lot get special rewards at my house.
8:18--Jef and Wai Yee make decorative nori origami with tobiko features. We decide that playing with food means that people are very, very, very full, and we finish clearing off.
8:40--With some very efficient assistance from Liwen, everything is put away (leftover fish in individual ziploc baggies), the dishwasher is started, and all the dishes that don't fit are washed and dried. We begin watching "Hero," the new Jet Li movie, on our giant screen, after several people who don't really know Chinese try translating the characters. Thankfully, English subtitles come to our rescue.
9:00--I promptly fall asleep. The movie seemed okay--I might try watching it again when I'm not so fish-ful and sleepy.
10:10--The movie ends, and we eat mochi ice cream in six flavors and stand around talking.
11:59--Everyone having left--some with doggie bags of fish for sushi Sunday breakfasts, I download pictures and post this webessay while Robert takes out the trash. The first day of spring? Well, it rained nearly all afternoon and evening, but we were so happy and full we didn't notice or care.