Two small things almost always come with sushi: a touch of pink ginger and a little soy sauce. You see them everywhere, but they are often used wrong. Used well, they bring out the fish. Used badly, they cover it.
Gari: a Pause, Not a Topping
Gari is ginger sliced thin and pickled in sweetened vinegar. Its pale pink colour is natural in young ginger. Its role is simple and precise: to clean the palate between pieces, so each bite arrives clean, without carrying the taste of the one before.
So it is taken on its own, one slice at a time, between two sushi. Placing it on a piece or eating it at the same time as the fish is a mistake: its strong, tangy taste covers everything. Think of it as a breath between two sentences.
Soy Sauce: the Fish Side
Soy sauce lifts the fish, but it is handled with restraint. The right move for a nigiri: turn it gently and dip the fish side, never the rice side. The porous rice absorbs too much sauce, falls apart, and ends up masking everything.
A touch is enough. Pouring a large amount of soy into the dish means losing the fish. The idea is to season, not to soak. For some pieces already glazed by the chef, soy is not even necessary.
How to eat sushiThe full guide to the right moves at the counter.And the Wasabi
A common habit is to stir wasabi into the soy sauce to make a grey paste. That is a shame: the mix blurs both flavours and robs the wasabi of its aromatic heat. Better to place a small touch of wasabi directly on the piece.
And for nigiri prepared at the counter, remember that the chef has already tucked the right amount of wasabi between rice and fish. Adding more through soy doubles the seasoning and masks the intended balance.
At Aji's Counter
These rules help you enjoy the chef's work, but they are not a test. At the four-seat counter, the chef gladly guides you: which piece to eat without soy, which is already seasoned, when to take a slice of gari. The point is not a rigid protocol, but avoiding covering what was prepared for you.
Which side of a nigiri do you dip in soy sauce?
The Essentials in Brief
- 1Gari cleans the palate between pieces: it is taken on its own.
- 2Soy sauce touches the fish side, never the rice side.
- 3A small touch of soy is enough: season, do not soak.
- 4Wasabi goes on the piece, not stirred into the soy.
- 5At the counter, the chef guides you: it is not a test.
Gari and soy sauce are not details: used well, they are part of the pleasure. The secret is one word: restraint. Let the fish speak, and come taste the rest at the counter.
Book your seat at the counter and let the chef guide you.
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