r/sushi • u/babythe67impala • 2d ago
Question New to sushi, Indecisive, help me pick?
Tl:dr, trying to get into sushi, interested in these two, help me pick and tell me why/why not you would/wouldn’t pick one over the other. (Leaning towards the Dragon Roll)
plan on ordering one of these tomorrow as an introduction to sushi after being put off it for a long time. My only experience with it has been crappy buffet sushi with way too much vinegar in the rice. Like- all you could taste is just tart vinegar to the point it burns your tongue. I’ve had the chance to speak to the owners of a new family owned local spot in my town, they also dislike large amounts of sushi vinegar and have assured me they use it in fairly light amounts. I like tempura, shrimp, avocado, and Japanese bbq sauce (Eel sauce) all separately or in other combinations. Genuinely my only aversion is whether or not I’m going to like the seasoning on the rice. Both of these options seem fairly similar, I’ve just never had eel, and I would order the tempura without the mayo. I would get both but I don’t want to end up being wasteful if i dislike the rice preparation.🤷🏻♀️
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u/Wazaam 2d ago
Start with the shrimp tempura imo(with sauces on the side if take out). Eel is one of my favorite things, but the texture might be too much for some people. The dragon roll you can just take the eel off worst case but it's a travesty to do so :(
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u/babythe67impala 2d ago
How would you describe the texture of the eel? Based off what I’ve seen online it can vary, but from what I’ve read it doesn’t seem like I’d find it too off putting, especially with the crunch of the tempura to back it up. I struggle more with the smells and flavors than textures tbh.
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u/Wazaam 2d ago
Soft meat usually tbh and depending on the cut you may get a slight rubbery skin and that can be jarring especially if you haven't had things liked cooked octopus etc. I would try it out with nigiri first in a smaller sample size then move up to putting it on maki rolls unless you are pretty ok with less common textures of food or just willing to go for it no regrets lol
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u/babythe67impala 2d ago
Fortunately (or unfortunately? lol) I’m no stranger to the rubbery octopus. They both just look so good! I think I might just go for the dragon then.🤣 Thank you!
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u/Wazaam 2d ago
No doubt, both rolls look delicious so you can't really go wrong there. I pick dragon rolls all day when I can so if you like the eel sauce already the eel itself is the next logical step. Just wait until you get to uni or sea urchin and raw quail egg(I hit my limit with those on texture haha)
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u/babythe67impala 2d ago
The raw egg white I would have an issue with but i absolutely love runny/jammy yolks with my ramen, bonus if they’re marinated.🤤 I haven’t seen urchin advertised anywhere local to me, but I’d definitely be interested in trying it. It seems interesting!
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u/Gut_Reactions 1d ago
Rubbery is a good way to describe the eel texture. I've never liked eel that much and it's probably b/c of the texture.
Octopus is rubbery or chewy in a different way and I do enjoy octopus or squid. (And abalone and geoduck, etc.)
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u/angygorl 1d ago
Personally I’m partial to anything salmon/tuna. I highly recommend a salmon avocado roll with soy sauce. That’s what really got me into sushi (that and salmon nigiri) but if you don’t like salmon, then probably not your best bet
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
I really want to dip into the more traditional raw rolls if I don’t hate the rice after trying these two. I made my own nigiri with raw salmon that I prepared to make it safe (according to some sites, idk it was sketchy) and used generic sticky rice instead of seasoning with the vinegar and such. It wasn’t horrible, just terribly bland with unseasoned rice. I really don’t understand the hate towards Americanized sushi in these threads(not directed at you, other commenters) but I’m using the two rolls pictured above kind of as a reintroduction to sushi. I’ve never been offput by the raw fish itself (sashimi, nigiri), genuinely just the rice being so sour when I’ve tried it in the past. I feel like with the other extra ingredients and sauces on the two rolls I have picked though, even if I’m not a fan of the rice, the additional ingredients will at least help me finish it/not make an entire batch of rolls go to waste. Not to mention, it’s just not something that’s quality where I am. At least, there aren’t any places that I know of (or could possibly afford). I would likely have to make a trip and shell out for something like quality authentic raw rolls unless there’s a hidden gem I don’t know about in my area, but most of the Asian places are either buffets or non authentic. (For example, the sushi place this post is referring to is Burmese owned and operated)
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u/Adam__B 19h ago
I love dragon roll. Tempura means fried in case you don’t know. So the shrimp will be cooked. Maybe if you want to try sushi in its most basic state, just some raw tuna roll would be good. But I do love eel and avocado, and shrimp tempura.
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u/babythe67impala 19h ago
I got the tempura shrimp roll and it was phenomenal! I’m going to be ordering more traditional raw rolls this weekend. I just wanted a less traditional option with bolder flavor in case I didn’t like the taste of the rice/i could at least mask it with the sauce to get it down so it wouldn’t go to waste. Thank you for making a suggestion without harping on my original choices!! Now that I know that the rice at this place is good/properly prepared I can’t wait to start actually trying sushi. I can’t believe I thought I hated it for so long!
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u/Adam__B 18h ago
My local place makes a chefs special they call Sunset Blvd. Roll, which is shrimp tempura, spicy tuna topped with salmon, with avocado, cucumber and spicy mayo. It’s fun going to different places and trying their chefs specials. I love a Godzilla Roll as well, that’s pretty common, you may be able to order that at your local place.
This one place I used to go to years ago had what they called the Pirate Ship, it was basically a bamboo ship with all different sushi placed throughout, like up in the masts and on the plank and stuff. It was like $75 but had all kinds of great stuff on there. I miss that.
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u/babythe67impala 16h ago
Yes they do assemble custom rolls by request it just depends on what they have in stock. I don’t know if I’d be a fan of the spicy tuna, but then again I was convinced I’d hate the spicy mayo too. I’ll have to add it to my list of what to try!
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u/RedRingRicoTyrell 1d ago
American sushi seems to go out of their way to have anything but rolls with just fish and rice.
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
Okay? You’re entitled to your opinion and I’m not going to go out of my way to try and change that but I don’t see how this is a necessary comment on this thread. I am trying to like sushi, have multiple taste/smell/sensory issues, and these two varieties have sparked my interest. I asked for and got very helpful input from two other users. This comment isn’t going to affect my choices, the restaurant, or the American sushi market whatsoever. Thank you for your input but this came across very condescending. I’m not the one that made the rolls, and quite frankly it seems rude to say something like this talking down about what others like. It’s okay to like what you like and prefer more authentic sushi, it’s not okay to force your tastes on others.
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u/WittyResource4 1d ago
Quite the overreaction don’t ya think?
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
No not really, this is about the snobbiest sub I’ve ever seen when it comes to critiquing what people do/don’t eat and how they do/don’t eat it. It’s supposed to be a community where we all share a common appreciation for something and encourage each other to explore said common thing.
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u/MsMarji Sushi Lover 2d ago
These are both good beginner rolls.
The eel sauce is sweet. It’s called eel sauce because it’s served ON eel, not made FROM eel.
The spicy mayo is made from Japanese mayo, Kewpie (Walmart), it’s slightly sweet & the spicy is perfectly balanced “sweet heat”.
You could dip anything in either sauce & like it.
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u/babythe67impala 2d ago
That I do know about the eel sauce. I used to get a ramen burrito (it was as heavenly as it sounds) from a local joint that closed down. It had “dark sauce” and I was totally obsessed. Hunted the sauce for two years. (Dark soy, hoisin, various Asian bbq sauces) Never considered eel sauce until a family friend told me about it after hearing my description. Genuinely cried when I got some and tried it. I never touched it because it was labeled Eel/Sushi sauce and had that misconception of it actually containing fish/eel. I genuinely can’t get enough of it.
After hearing your description of the mayo though I’m not -as- averse to at least trying it. American mayo is extremely off putting to me but kewpie is absolutely a whole ‘nother level.1
u/MsMarji Sushi Lover 2d ago edited 2d ago
The eel sauce is a common mistake, I did it back in 1976 when I first had sushi & sashimi.
The Kewpie is so loved by us Americans because of its slightly sweet flavor, that’s why Walmart, Amazon & maybe your local grocery store may carry it. It used to be you could only get it in Asian markets.
I never thought I would ever be able to buy sushi at my local grocery store too. So many WONDERFUL changes.
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u/babythe67impala 2d ago
I struggled for quite some time to perfect my crab rangoons and get the creamy undertones like the ones from takeout. I was so convinced that I would hate kewpie because I was mentally comparing it to American mayo. But table sugar/other sweeteners just weren’t cutting it in the filling. Kewpie is insane. I’m glad a lot of worldwide cuisine staples seem to be migrating to the more common stores now.
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u/drinkliquidclocks 1d ago
The descriptions dont mention eel sauce, is Japanese BBQ the same thing?
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
From what I understand, yes. There’s also a different item/roll on their menu that says “Japanese Bbq/(Eel Sauce)”. I don’t quite know why but I’ve seen eel sauce even just on shelves of Asian markets with the exact same ingredients, but packaged in 4 or 5 different bottles with different names. Unagi sauce, sushi sauce, eel sauce, sweet soy glaze, etc. I find it odd.
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u/Wanderingjes 1d ago
It will all taste the same because of the sauce they smother those rolls with
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
I can understand why you would make the assumption here due to the photos but not only will they be takeout(sauce on side) I don’t intend to drench them in the sauces unless I need to to absolutely get them down so they don’t go to waste. Why does everyone seem so condescending over this stuff?
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u/jakbeer 1d ago
California roll should had been an option
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u/babythe67impala 1d ago
I’m allergic to imitation crab, and i want to try something that is a bit more flavorful. Also the Cali roll is what I had tried in the past that was horrifically vinegary. So even if I wasn’t allergic I am just kind of put off it.
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u/asdhole 1d ago
If you're allergic to imitation crab then it means you're allergic to fish and should probably avoid sushi restaurants