
is a
Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh
raw fish or
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
.
Origin

The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "
刺身" = ''sashimi'', where
刺 し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) and
身 = ''mi'' (body, meat). This word dates from the
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
(1336-1573) and there are multiple theories as to its etymology:
The term was possibly coined when the word "
切る" = ''kiru'' (cut), the culinary step, was considered too inauspicious to be used by anyone other than a
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
. This word may derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish's tail and fin to the slices for the purpose of identifying the fish being eaten.
Another possibility for the name is the traditional method of harvesting. "''Sashimi''-grade" fish is caught by individual handline. As soon as the fish is landed, its brain is pierced with a sharp spike, and it is placed in slurried ice. This spiking is called the
ikejime process, and the instant death means that the fish's flesh contains a minimal amount of
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
. This means that the fish will keep fresh on ice for about ten days, without turning white or otherwise degrading.
Many non-Japanese use the terms ''sashimi'' and ''
sushi
is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...
'' interchangeably, but the two dishes are distinct and separate. Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegared rice. While raw fish is one traditional sushi ingredient, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked, and others have no seafood at all, including ingredients like seaweed, vegetables, omelets, and fried tofu.
''Sashimi,'' by contrast, is always served on its own.
Although Japan has long had the custom of eating fish raw, the idea of serving it as a beautifully arranged dish is thought to have come from China, probably around the
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
(1185–1333). An early cookbook in Japanese, written in 1489, directs that the raw flesh should be sliced and mixed with vinegar and seasonings such as salt and herbs.
An early western description of sashimi comes from a letter written by the future
Admiral of the Fleet,
Sir Arthur Wilson of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, who was assigned to the British naval mission to Japan in the late 1860s: "It is a peculiar sort of fish, which they cut in very thin slices and serve up with some sort of sauce over it. It is considered a great delicacy. I have tried it and did not find it bad, but the idea is not nice."
Serving

''Sashimi'' is often served early in a formal Japanese meal but it can also be served in a sashimi set meal, presented with
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
and
miso soup in separate bowls. Japanese chefs consider ''sashimi'' the finest dish in Japanese formal dining and recommend that it be eaten before other strong flavors affect the
palate
The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...
.
The sliced seafood that composes the main ingredient is typically draped over a garnish. The typical garnish is Asian white radish, ''
daikon'', shredded into long thin strands, or single leaves of the herb ''
shiso'' (
perilla).
Garnishes for sashimi are generally called ''tsuma'' and may also include slices of other raw vegetables, such as cucumbers and carrots, as well as seaweeds, flowers and leaves and stems of other plants.
''Sashimi'' is popularly served with a dipping sauce (
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
) and condiments such as
wasabi
Wasabi (Japanese language, Japanese: , , or , ) or Japanese horseradish (''Eutrema japonicum'' syn. ''Wasabia japonica'') is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and Mustard plant, mustard in other genus, genera. ...
paste, grated fresh
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
,
''
gari'' or pickled ginger,
grated fresh
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
, or
ponzu for meat ''sashimi'', and such garnishes as shiso and shredded daikon radish.
Wasabi paste is sometimes mixed directly into soy sauce as a dipping sauce, which is generally not done when eating
sushi
is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...
(which itself normally includes ''wasabi''). A reputed motivation for serving wasabi with ''sashimi'' and also ''gari'', besides its flavor, is killing harmful bacteria and parasites that could be present in raw seafood.
Preparation
To highlight the delicate flavor as well as for texture, the chef cuts fish into different thicknesses by variety of the fish, its age and by the season.
The ''hira-zukuri'' cut (literally 'flat slice'), is the standard cut for most ''sashimi''. Typically this style of cut is the size of a domino and thick. Tuna, salmon, and kingfish are most commonly cut in this style. The ''usu-zukuri'' cut (literally 'thin slice'), is an extremely thin, diagonally cut slice that is mostly used to cut firm fish, such as bream, whiting, and flounder. The dimensions of this cut are usually long and wide. The ''kaku-zukuri'' cut (literally 'square slice'), is the style in which ''sashimi'' is cut into small cubes that are on each side. The ''ito-zukuri'' cut (literally 'thread slice'), is the style in which the fish is cut into fine strips, less than in diameter. The fish typically cut with the ''ito-zukuri'' style include garfish and squid; squid dish prepared in ''ito-zukuri'' is also called ''
ika sōmen'' and is dipped in dashi or ''
men-tsuyu'' like eating ''sōmen'' noodle.
Varieties
Popular main ingredients for sashimi include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Some sashimi ingredients, such as octopus, are sometimes served cooked given their chewy nature. Most seafood, such as tuna, salmon, and squid, are served raw. ''
Tataki
Two methods of preparing fish or meat in Japanese cuisine are called or . In Japanese language, Japanese, means "pounded" or "hit into pieces".
Cooked food
In the first method, the meat or fish is seared very briefly over a hot flame or i ...
'' (たたき or 叩き, 'pounded') is a type of sashimi that is quickly and lightly
seared on the outside, leaving it raw inside.
Ingredients other than raw fish meat
Food cut into small pieces and eaten with wasabi and soy sauce may be called sashimi in Japan, including the following ingredients. Like bamboo shoots, the food is enjoyed raw to appreciate the freshness, and producers and farmers offer those sashimi at their properties in top season. Some of the vegetables are enjoyed as thin sliced strips and called sashimi while they resemble fish meat, like avocado as salmon and konnyaku as puffer fish.
Less common, but not unusual, sashimi ingredients are vegetarian items, such as
yuba (bean curd skin), and raw red meats, such as
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
(known as ''gyuunotataki'') or
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
(known as ''basashi'').
Chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
"sashimi" (known as ''toriwasa'') is considered by some to be a delicacy; the
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
kōchin,
French ''
poulet de Bresse'' and its American derivative, the
blue foot chicken, are favored by many for this purpose, as, besides their taste, they are certified to be free of ''
Salmonella
''Salmonella'' is a genus of bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two known species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' ...
''. Chicken sashimi is sometimes slightly braised or seared on the outside.
;Vegetable
*
Avocado
The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
: served as "avocado sashimi", it is considered to have a texture similar to raw or slightly salted fatty salmon. It is eaten with wasabi soy sauce.
*
Bamboo shoots: farmers of bamboo grove serves
takenoko in course menu, and sashimi is almost always entered during the high season of harvest.
* Japanese
radish: among many varieties of vegetables eaten fresh, it is said that the flavor stands out when tasted within a couple of hours after harvesting, and called sashimi vegetables instead of very fresh salad.
*
Konnyaku: cut into short thin strips resembling puffer fish meat, thus called ''yama fugu'' (mountain puffer fish) in some regions. Served with vinegar and miso, wasabi and soy sauce, vinegar and soy sauce.
*
Yuba, or tofu skin: while there are restaurants where customers cook their own yuba and eat while it is hot, yuba-sashi or sashimi of yuba is chilled and served with wasabi soy sauce or vinegar miso.
;Meat
Beef, pork, and
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...
are bought from licensed butchers and processors and served raw or slightly cooked to avoid high risk of food poisoning and parasite infection. Meat may be treated in boiling water (yubiki) or braised with a gas torch (aburi). Served with
ponzu citrus vinegar.
*
Chicken meat
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
(''toriwasa'') is thinly sliced
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
kōchin flesh, liver, heart and gizzard.
* Chiragaa: boiled face skin of pork, served with vinegar and miso sauce, also served as Okinawa cuisine.
*
Goat meat
Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat (''Capra hircus''). The term 'goat meat' denotes meat of older animals, while meat from young goats is called 'kid meat'. In South Asian cuisine, goat meat is called mutton, along with sheep meat.''O ...
:
Okinawa cuisine, served with soy sauce and grated ginger.
* Horse meat: offered with grated garlic and soy sauce.
* Mimigaa: boiled ears of pork, also served as Okinawa cuisine.
* Offal: advised to buy from meat processors or restaurants with licenses, as fatal food poisoning happened in Japan with beef liver.
* Wild meat: boar as Okinawa cuisine consumed on
Iriomote and
Ishigaki islands and boiled meat is served. Deer meat.
;Others
*
Fishcake
A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden.
Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...
: one among the express menu on izakaya menu, offered as Itawasa. Sliced into thick strips, and eaten with wasabi and soy sauce.
* Seaweed:
wakame is in strict sense not eaten raw but dipped in boiling water for a few seconds, and enjoyed the fresh green color, with wasabi soy sauce. Marinating with vinegar and miso sauce is popular as well.
File:Yagisashi Okinawa Naha.jpg, alt=Goat meat served raw as sashimi., Goat meat served raw as sashimi
File:JP-47 Mimiga and Chiraga.jpg, alt=Thinly sliced mimiga and chiraga served as sashimi., Thinly sliced "mimigā" (near) and "chiragā" (far)
File:Dolphin Sashimi.jpg, A plate of dolphin sashimi
File:Basashi (15121111029).jpg, A plate of horse sashimi (''basashi'')
File:Beef sashimi (4329731489).jpg, Beef sashimi
File:Kurosatsumadori no aburi tataki.jpg, Chicken sashimi served lightly braised as tataki
Two methods of preparing fish or meat in Japanese cuisine are called or . In Japanese language, Japanese, means "pounded" or "hit into pieces".
Cooked food
In the first method, the meat or fish is seared very briefly over a hot flame or i ...
File:レバ刺し.jpg, Beef liver sashimi served with sesame seed oil and salt, alt=1
Safety
As a
raw food
Raw foodism, also known as rawism or a raw food diet, is the diet (nutrition), dietary practice of eating only or mostly food that is cooking, uncooked and processed food, unprocessed. Depending on the philosophy, or type of lifestyle and resu ...
, consuming sashimi can result in
foodborne illness
Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...
when bacteria or parasites are present; for example,
anisakiasis is a disease caused by the accidental ingestion of larval
nematode
The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...
s in the family
Anisakidae, primarily ''
Anisakis simplex'' but also ''Pseudoterranova decipiens''. In addition, incorrectly prepared
fugu fish may contain
tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an Order (biology), order that includes Tetraodontidae, pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Alt ...
, a potent neurotoxin.
Another type of foodborne illness that could occur after consuming tainted sashimi is
diphyllobothriasis. This disease is an infection within the intestines that occurs when the tapeworm ''
Diphyllobothrium latum'' is consumed. Common fish such as trout, salmon, pike, and sea bass harbor this parasitic larva in their muscles. Since the innovation of the chilled transport system paired with the salmon and trout consumption, an increasing number of cases have been recorded annually in northern Japan due to the spread of this disease.
Traditionally, fish that spend at least part of their lives in
brackish or fresh water were considered unsuitable for sashimi because of the possibility of parasites. For example, salmon, an
anadromous fish, is not traditionally eaten straight out of the river. A study in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, showed that all wild salmon had
roundworm larvae capable of infecting people, while farm-raised salmon did not have any roundworm larvae. However, a study commissioned by the Pew Foundation found that total organic contaminants were consistently and significantly more concentrated in the farmed salmon as a group than in wild salmon.
Freezing is often used to kill parasites. According to a
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
regulation, freezing fish at −20 °C (−4 °F) for 24 hours kills parasites. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends freezing at −35 °C (−31 °F) for 15 hours, or at −20 °C (−4 °F) for 7 days.
While
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
does not federally regulate freezing fish,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
and
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
voluntarily adhere to guidelines similar to the FDA's.
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
attempted to legislate freezing as part of raw food handling requirements, though this was soon withdrawn due to protests by the industry that the subtle flavors and texture of raw fish would be destroyed by freezing. Instead, Ontario has decided to consider regulations on how raw fish must be handled prior to serving.
Some fish for sashimi are treated with
carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...
to keep the flesh red for a longer time in storage. This practice can make
spoiled fish appear fresh.
Eating
chicken sashimi is a serious
food poisoning risk. Despite it being on menus, it is hard to find, and many chefs cook it incorrectly. Chicken sashimi is also often sourced at certain restaurants from the thigh, liver and outer breast.
Environmental concerns
With the constant amount of fishing, bluefin tuna population rates have been steadily declining. A proposed solution has been farming bluefin tuna in fisheries. Historically, this has posed a problem in that the captive fish are not raised from spawn, but rather from small wild fish that are netted and transported to the farms, mostly in the Mediterranean. However, Japanese scientists have found a way to successfully breed and raise the fish entirely in captivity.
See also
*
Surimi
*
Ikizukuri (live sashimi)
*
Kuai (dish)
''Kuai'' ( or ) was a Chinese cuisine, Chinese dish consisting of finely cut strips of raw meat or fish, which was popular in the early Chinese dynasties. According to the ''Book of Rites'' compiled between 202 BCE and 220 CE, ''kuai'' consists ...
*
Hoe (dish)
*
Carpaccio
*
Kinilaw
*
Steak tartare
Steak tartare or tartar steak is a French cuisine, French dish of Raw meat, raw ground meat, ground (minced) beef. It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or Chives, chive, salt, black pepper, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other ...
*
Stroganina
*
Tiradito
*
List of raw fish dishes
*
Mercury in fish
*
Ceviche
*
Yusheng
Notes
References
External links
* On the garnishes for sashimi.
{{Authority control
Animal-based seafood
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine terms
Uncooked fish dishes
Raw foods
Sliced foods
Types of food