You could say that Americans are a bit obsessed with condiments. Most home pantries and refrigerators have an impressive assortment, and everybody seems to have their go-to favorites for every type of meal, even sushi. Sushi purists might argue that you shouldn’t use any condiments when enjoying sushi or sashimi, making the point that introducing any sauces will detract from the delicate taste of the fish itself. And there just might be some validity to that argument. In fact, that just may be why most sushi comes in small, bite-size pieces — so you can savor the flavor of each piece. Dowsing your sushi in condiments like wasabi, soy sauce, spicy mayonnaise, or ponzu sauce will certainly enhance the flavor (after all, that is the purpose of a good condiment), but when those sauces overpower the sushi itself, you might just be defeating the purpose.
That is not to say that certain condiments don’t create a delicious flavor burst with each bite. Whether you are eating sushi or sashimi (and yes, there absolutely is a difference!), the main flavor you should experience should be the fresh taste of the fish itself (just a bit oceany, and not overly fishy), and any condiments you use to enhance that flavor should be used to accomplish just that — add to it, not overpower it or disguise it. Therefore, choose your condiments wisely and practice restraint to get the ultimate satisfaction from every bite.
Knowing how to use those condiments is key
In Japan, people don’t typically eat sauces like spicy mayonnaise on their sushi at all. Instead, they stick with basic ingredients that are paired with sushi and sashimi for a specific purpose. Pickled ginger, for example, isn’t used as a condiment but is rather used as a palette cleanser in between bites. Nigiri, which consists of small balls of sushi rice topped with pieces of raw fish, is prepared with small dabs of wasabi smeared between the fish and the rice. The chef puts just the right amount of this spicy condiment in each bite to create the intended flavor, so adding more on you own will alter the flavor from what was originally intended, especially if you aren’t actually using real wasabi.
When it comes to one of the most commonly used sushi condiments — soy sauce — it is especially important to think before you dunk. Experts agree that you want to dip your sushi gently, making sure to dip just the edge of the fish into the sauce. This prevents your condiment from not only overpowering the flavor of the fish if you are eating sashimi, but also prevents structural damage to the carefully formed ball of rice that makes up a bite of nigiri. Too much sauce and the rice will crumble, leaving you with a piece of fish in your chopsticks and a mess of rice in your soy sauce dipping bowl.
