It Is What It Is: Escolar

And not just any ol' fish, but FATTY fish!

I'm talking Salmon, Escolar, Chilean sea bass, Sable Fish, Hamachi, Eel, Mackerel, Sardines, Anchovies... you name it, I LOVE IT!

But the purpose of this post is to talk about a specific fish that I am totally LOVING RIGHT NOW (probably because it's one of the only "fresh" fish we can get here in Jackson, Wyoming)...

Oh boy, it's good! I ate about an oozing (from fat, the omega-3 kind... which is so very healthy for you) pound of it last night (plus or minus a few ounces)... had about seven ounces today at lunch and will fish up the rest up tonight (mm mm good!)

Broiling it is most definitely the best way to seal in it's deliciousness! Oh yes, deliciousness is most definitely the WORD of this post...

Alright, I'll stop from keeping you guessing... it's Steelhead Trout!

This trout is actually incredibly similar to salmon and if you saw it at the store without a label as to what it was, you'd probably just think, ahhh Salmon... Perhaps you could consider Salmon and Steelhead Trout fraternal twins?

To all you who are health conscious, here's the nutritional low-down on my current obsession:

Per 3 ounces:
Calories: 144
Fat: 6.1
Protein: 20.6
*Excellent Source of: Niacin/B-3 & Vitamin B 12
*Good Source of: Pantothenic Acid & Selenium

Oh and GUESS WHAT!!! Farmed Steelhead Trout is SUSTAINABLE!!! I finally like a fish that's on the sustainable list, so now I feel even BETTER about eating it! No guilt here! YES! (Wait, I actually don't feel guilty when I eat unsustainable fish, gah, I know, sorry!! But I just love the taste!)

So are you jonesing some Steelhead yet?!?! I mean common, if you LOVE salmon, you will CERTAINLY LOVE this fish... Oh and the best part (other than the taste, texture, health benefits, etc)... it's relatively INEXPENSIVE! I bought mine at $7 a pound!!! PERFECT, now dig in!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Restaurant Review: Ai Sushi

Restaurant: Ai Sushi (the full menu is not listed on the website)
Cuisine: Japanese/Asian
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Pricey?: ** of out *****

Review: There is nothing I like more than to sink my teeth into a meaty and delicious hunk of tuna neck and this is exactly the reason why I ADORE Ai Sushi! The restaurant has all the sushi you can imagine plus exotic dishes such as this tuna neck that I love, also known as Hamachi Kama.

Last night my parents came to Boulder for dinner and my mom said "how about we go to your sushi place"... so of course I couldn't say no to that, after all it's "my" sushi place! Walk ins are welcome and space is always available, no waiting EVER!

The ambiance of the restaurant is spacious and boasts 10 hibachi grills along with a separate dining room so the loud noises from the hibachi grillers do not distract those who want to have a peaceful conversation with their dinner mates. As my parents and I headed into the dining room, we walked by a chalk board that had specials listed, and one of them was a special of SASHIMI for 2 @ $35 for 35 pieces - WHAT A STEAL!!!

So what did we order? TWO Sashimi Platters... so 70 pieces of sashimi! Plus TWO hamachi kamas (one for me, and one for my dad!)

We all received complementary miso soups & salads and the Hamachi Kamas came out first, VERY quickly.... and then... OUR SASHIMI platters! (The server knows me so he added eel sashimi onto the platters - lets just say he got a MIGHTY FINE TIP!) The fish ranged from multiple types of Tuna, Salmon, Mackerel, Crab, Tilipia, Shrimp, Egg & Eel! (I am sure I am forgetting something but there was just so much deliciousness I was so distracted by my ridiculously HAPPY taste buds!)

Everything was absolutely delicious... and when I was mid way through devouring my hamachi kama and realized it wasn't cooked all the way, I told my server and he simply took it back to the grill so they could finish off what was left and he did not charge us for it!

Don't think that sashimi and Habachi is the only thing Ai Sushi serves though, they have "millions" of rolls to choose from ranging from: the 007 Roll to the Heart Attack Roll to the Playboy Roll.... If you want to know what's in these interestingly titles rolls... check out the menu!

So how much was our bill! This is the BEST PART!!!!! For three people (yep, that's right, we finished ALL of that food... let's just say I would MOST DEFINITELY win ANY Japanese Food Eating Contest...) our bill came out to be: $115 (before tip that is)... and that includes the 2 beers my father ordered as well...

Well maybe I am a tad bit bias considering I have been going to this restaurant for three and a half years now... BUT every single time I have gone (which is a heck of a lot) it NEVER disappoints! The best part is pretty much all the waitstaff know me by first name and... when they see me outside about to enter the restaurant, they already get my order started! (ha ha, not seriously, but they definitely could... this also means I am a HUGE creature of habit)... But you know what, when I know something is out of this world delicious, why would I try something different that I am unsure of?!?!

My Rating: 9.99999 out of 10 (not a straight ten because my hamachi kama wasn't cooked all the way through this go round, but typically it ALWAYS it! Oh and they don't have ESCOLAR which is one of my favorite types of sashimi... but eh, you can't win em all right?)

(My favorite fish looks ANGRY, no?)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

HAMACHI KAMA Review

(Sashimi Platter)

DROOLING YET?

Oh how I adore Japanese Food! I eat it weekly and could certainly eat it daily if my wallet and bank account permitted me! But no no. I must restrain myself... Weekly is enough! Whenever I go, I order so much it's crazy, and I am known for eating such large quantities. I don't order rolls because I don't eat rice, but I do order the exotic menu items like eel sashimi, escolar sashimi, uni, etc...

(Eel Sashimi)

One menu item that I order every single time I go out to sushi (and buy at Whole Foods too when they have it) is Hamachi Kama!

(Oh the most delicious food: hamachi kama)

What is Hamachi Kama exactly? Well it's the neck of Hamachi or Young Yellow tail Tuna. It is the most fatty and delicious part of the fish. When prepared it's grill to perfection and served piping hot with soy sauce & some shaved cabbage and or diakon (depending on restaurants). They range in size from small to large and boast roughly 4 to 6 ounces of meat!! For once ounce of yellow tail tuna... you get 31 CALORIES!!!! 31! That's NOTHING! Which is why I... uh... order 2 or 3 of them depending on how hungry I am and what other things are on the menu! Wait, why did I sound embarrassed... I CERTAINLY AM NOT!! The smooth and buttery taste is sensational and the omega-3 fatty acids are abundant! Oh and get this... all that hype about Vitamin D being absolutely amazing for your health... well hamachi Kama (and hamachi in general along with other fatty fish) have LOADS OF IT packed RIGHT IN!

(Hamachi Sashimi)

SO.... what are you going to do the next time you go out to sushi? That's right, order hamachi Kama... and if they don't have it on the menu ask their server if the sushi chef has any whole hamachi in the back that he can cut and grill! The chef will be impressed with your fish knowledge and your taste buds will be impressed with how delicious this piece of fish really is!! ENJOY!

(yummy yummy - a food you don't have to be afraid to eat with your HANDS!)

*Salmon Collars are also avaliable but not nearly as scrumptious! (oh but still very yummy!)

*Next up in the sushi review: Escolar

(Escolar Sashimi)