Still learning (constructive criticism welcome)

My third time making sushi at home, I'm getting close to how I want my rice to be but I'm still struggling with slicing salmon for nigiri. Also my first time preparing aburi and unagi. And yes the gunkan was all over the place.

by LatuSensu

34 comments
  1. Tell you what I’m willing to do. I’ll come over and criticize the daylights out of your sushi and you just keep making it until you get it right.

  2. For a third time, that’s pretty impressive. You did make the biggest rookie mistake there is. I won’t hold it against you this time, it’s only your third time. You didn’t invite me to try this deliciousness, you fool!

  3. Less rice on the nigiri. Thinner, longer avocado slices and use plastic wrap to shape it over the uramaki, slicing while it is still on to maintain the shape

  4. I’ve gotten worse from restaurants haha. Nitpicking, but the rolls look like they got a little flattened, probably when cutting.

  5. I’m no sushi chef but that’s some quality I’d expect to see at a restaurant! Delicious looking I say keep practicing I’ll be your tester! 🤪😋

  6. This post is upsetting.

    I’m trying hard to save my money and now I want sushi so badly. These look great!

  7. After seeing a recent post here, I’m just glad that Mike didn’t have his way with any of these rolls.

  8. I would happily pay for this at a restaurant. Any chance you can open up shop in the rural SE?

  9. Ok, constructive… the eel looks “toasted”.. not burned, and I do not see liquid eel sauce… that is a presentation choice. That, for a 1st time meal, makes me wonder. Now, everything else looks good. The Avocado at the end… a little brown on some pieces also makes me go…..humm.. and I would eat it all down and enjoy it. The constructive here for me is the eel.. looks dry and “toasted”.. it is —different. Nothing bad, but you asked so I am saying so without tasting so…. keep learning.

  10. Overall, very impressive for early days in sushi-making. Unagi looks excellent.

    What is in the gunkan, underneath the ikura? So much mayo, IMO.

    JMO, but I don’t like seeing intact sticks of imitation crab. If you’re going to use it, I would rather see it shredded up and mixed with a little bit of mayo. E.g., in a gunkan or a roll.

    I mentioned it below, but I would try to find Hass avocado. It really is buttery and delicious.

  11. First of all congratulations! 🍣
    For your third attempt, this looks really good. Sushi is hard to master, so be proud of yourself.

    A few tips from me as a sushi chef:
    1. Practice slicing the avocado thinner. If it’s tricky, use a peeler.it works wonders. 😉
    2. Shape the roll not just before cutting, but right after as well. It keeps everything neat.
    3. Sharpen your knife with a water stone. If you need guidance, just ask.
    4. For nigiri, cut the salmon into bigger slices so the fish fully covers the rice.
    5. For gunkan, precut your nori into equal sized strips and avoid overloading the topping.

    Overall, this is a great attempt.I’ve seen assistants of mine who didn’t start this strong. 😄 Keep at it, and you’ll be rolling like a pro in no time.

    Oh, and don’t forget the sauces!

  12. The rice grains looks smooshed in some photos, I think they’re overcooked. Not certain, but the rice looks like it’s medium grain, normally sushi uses short grain… using short might help with the overall texture.

    For the nori you’ll need to slice the strips straight and evenly… it could be technique or just a dull knife. Maybe try other nori brands, ideally you want it to be crisp and flat to make it easier to work with. Some chefs toast their nori, but that’s overkill haha.

    I think you should use bit less sauce in the fish mixture with gunkan, the extra sauce is probably making it hard to to keep it’s shape.

    For the salmon pieces, hard to know what’s happening…they seem be different lengths, thickness even different grain angles? I’d say be selective on what you buy and plan out your loin pieces better, not every piece in the salmon strip is used in nigiri… sometimes to get the correct consistent shape pieces are cut off and those extra pieces are used in rolls.

  13. My 1 critique would be to flip the unagi over lol. The skin side is the bottom.

  14. Loose sushi rolls often result from insufficient rolling pressure, too much filling, or rice that isn’t sticky enough. To prevent this, ensure the nori sheet is properly placed, use a rolling mat, apply even pressure while rolling, and don’t overfill. 

  15. Fucking pathetic, looks too good. Give it to me so I can dispose of it properly.

  16. It all looks great but if I were to nitpick then too much sauce on the unagi. You can see the rice absorbing it on picture 1. The maki are uneven in size on picture 3. The avocado is pretty thick and not adhered to the rice on picture 5. The salmon the nigiri in picture 5 is not the correct size for the amount of rice.

  17. If you are still learning then I must be just throwing fish on rice. Looks great. 10/10 would shove in my face hole.

  18. A little bit more refinement and attention to detail when it comes to presentation. Other than that it looks great.

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