Nigiri vs. Sashimi

salmon sashimi

The battle for a chance at the chopsticks

Does the sound of raw, cut fish sound appetizing to you? Maybe you like the idea of the tender fillet melting away in your mouth as you slowly chew the sushi into nonexistence. If that is the case, you my friend are a sashimi lover. Maybe the idea of this gets you a little uneasy. You enjoy the taste of the fish, but not to the point where you have reverted back to the dawn of the cavemen. The nigiri is well up your ally. The infusion of rice gives you the filling satisfaction, while still enjoying the flavor of the fillet. Both these types of preparation of sushi have become key items on any sushi bar or restaurant menu within the United States and abroad.

Do these jeans make me look fat?

When people look at any menu in today's society, the question of calories and 'how much can I eat tonight where I will still be able to go to the beach tomorrow' come into play. This is no different with sushi menus. When you look at a piece of sushi, at first glance it looks like it isn't much, but add on eight-plus of his brothers and sisters, and you got the whole family, not to mention the mayo and eel sauces that pack on the calories with any signature roll; cause lets face it, Americans are all about the interesting things on menus that we can't pronounce - hence the 'signature roll'; but I'll touch on that in the near future.  To fight these calories that are invading our plates at sushi restaurants, the healthier alternative many sushi connoisseurs are making is the switch over to nigiri and sashimi. Due to the simplicity that these types of sushi are prepared, the calories drop. The calories in sashimi are much less than any other types of sushi, which give them an advantage over nigiri in this situation. 

Salmon nigiri

 

Taste over matter

Everyone's taste buds are different, which makes deciding which preparation is better flavored. The sashimi is the raw fish over nothing (unless you put it over something - in which case it isn't sashimi anymore). This gives a flavor, purely deriving from the fish and maybe a taste of soy sauce. A pinch of MSG never hurt anyone - as long as it's not a build up, in which you could potentially be harmed by the long-term affects - but that never stopped me. Nigiri on the other hand offers the taste of the fish infused with the taste of the rice it sits upon. This settles the flavor of the fish, and offers an escape route for those who don't want a strong taste of the fish.

Show me the money

Prices. What many people hate to see go up. Unfortunately, not all sushi is cheap or the same price. If it were cheap, I would eat it everyday of my life. So many people need to make decisions based on how much they can spend. Lets face it we need to be practical. Sashimi runs about five dollars per three pieces and nigiri runs about two dollars a piece. Depending on the chef, a larger piece of fillet is usually on a piece of sashimi than what would be on a piece of nigiri. You will have a more filling meal if you decide on the nigiri, thanks to the rice, so you wont need to eat as much to be satisfied. 

So, price wise, what is the better bang for your buck? 

2 orders of sashimi (6 pieces) x $5 an order = $10

vs.

6 orders of nigiri (6 pieces) x $2 an order = $12

You decide.

Who's on the chopping block?

Nigiri is a well-rounded choice - it has a filling effect that will leave you with a satisfied feeling, knowing you're good for the day/night. Although, many would choose not to order a piece of nigiri just because of the calorie value that is held over their heads. The flavor is subtle and not as strong as the sashimi, which adds a twist of lightness to the prepared piece of sushi. Nigiri might be more expensive when considered in a 'piece for piece' manner, but you might not need as many pieces because of the fact that you might not be able to eat more than 2-4 pieces.

Tuna nigiri

Sashimi is sophisticated. It gives off the 'I enjoy art galleries and taking pictures of the city skyline at night throughout the week' kind of energy. But that's fine. Want to save on calories, then sashimi is clearly the way to go. Hopefully you can get full off of 5-6 pieces, so that you don't break the nigiri's price cap. The flavor offers a deep, rich one that provides a full ride of Japan during the 30 seconds that it is inside your mouth - you become Japanese for a good 30 seconds basically. You can't really say no to that.  

Salmon sashimi

Ultimately it is up to the person ordering the sushi that decides which one they prefer. There isn't one that is 'better', but just different. I advise the next time you go to a sushi restaurant, to try a piece or three of these differently-prepared sushi - there is more to this world than just the signature rolls.

*I do not own any of the photographs taken on this post*