Ahi Natto Barazushi

The Mrs used to always purchase a tray or two of the Ahi Natto Barazushi (or Chirashizushi) from Marukai whenever we stopped to shop. They had four different variations - two with white rice and two with brown and they also offered it spicy or mild. However, in the past several months we stopped purchasing this item because the Ahi portion started getting really skimpy. I mean, you could count the number of cubes placed on top of the natto mixture. I know ahi is pricey but when you only have 8 or 9 cubes of ahi in a whole tray?...

So I decided to create my own, especially since the Mrs worked this whole weekend. First to get the natto. I can't read kanji but this looks okay... and it was on sale though all of the natto Marukai sells is in the freezer section.

Then some pickled daikon... this brand kinda looks like the stuff in the pre-packed barazushi.

And lastly, the red gold or wild caught fresh ahi. I prefer not to purchase the previously frozen variety treated with food grade gas. the gas is actually carbon monoxide - poisonous to breathe harmless if consumed. It basically sets the red color of the myoglobin... that's why it's lethal if inhaled because oxygen can't bind to your red blood cells. But the reason I don't like gassed fish is you have to smell (and taste) it to determine if it's past peak as the red color betrays you...

And as you see, pricier than the best cuts of steak or lamb...

So you first cook the rice - I used real Koshihikari rice from Japan since the fish cost the proverbial arm-n-a-leg then mixed the freshly cooked rice with my vinegar-sugar-salt-aji mixture. While the rice was cooling I opened the natto and mixed it good and stringy...

Then cubed the ahi and mixed it with the natto...

Then added the pickles and mixed everything with a touch of shoyu...

Place on seasoned rice and voila! Ahi Natto Barazushi!

Then Mrs thought it was better than the original prepacked variety at Marukai - of course there was a lot more ahi!

And since I spent the extra time, I opened my last 3rd of the Born Hyozan "Iceberg" sake. Good sushi and sashimi DEMANDS good sake. A great way to end the weekend...