Salmon Sushi Shortage Taiwan

I used to goto these conveyer belt sushi places like Hamasushi. But seems like every time I go, I spend 1500 for 2 people. Since I typically get salmon, I stopped going to those places and started going to AYCE buffets. It come’s out to be about the same cost, but much more variety of food.

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Rice 1-2 NT$, salmon 5-10 NT$

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They aint paying that muh for salmon :wink: rice is 700 to 1000usd/ton :slight_smile:

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Minimum order = 12,000 kilograms. Hmmm. That’s a little more than I can eat on my own. Anyone wanna go halfsies?
We went to an AYCE buffet on Sunday, and for the first time, they limited the salmon sashimi. You could return and get more, but…

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Forumosa Salmon Party?

Cover charge $1000

Discounts if you changed your name to Salmon.

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Any tips on proper thawing?

We were discussing why prices are higher. Wholesale is still cheap. The big chains are probbaly buying by the container load as @Akisan2 was explaining.

Seems more a local racket than global salmon shortages.

The nice stuff is always expensive.

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If the fish has been properly frozen under -40 degrees celsius, the best way is to thaw it under ICE water inside a refrigerator. Yes, ice water. Water transfers temperature through the fish way better than air. By putting it in the ice water, the fish won’t spend much time in that temperature zone where the ice crystals grow and damage the cells. With this method, the fish will thaw within 1-2 hours depending on the size of the fish.

But that’s if you have the fish frozen in an airtight vacuum bag. I have a professional vacuum sealer so that’s how I freeze and thaw. You don’t want to pour water directly onto the flesh.
You could try the ziplock bags if the fish isn’t so big.

You can simply thaw the fish inside a refrigerator overnight, and it won’t be a huge issue.

Thawing super frozen tuna is another story… :grimacing:

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If you have time, would be interested in reading about the issues with thawing tuna. Have had many in the past that seemed mushy, almost on the way to a paste. Assumed cell damage, perhaps thawing problem?

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It depends on the tuna.

The highest quality tunas are always fresh, and the top tier comes from Japan regardless of the popularity of the local tunas. (This isn’t so true now, thanks for pointing out)

The second-highest grade is the super frozen bluefin tuna, and these are the one that needs special handling.

Most of these are caught, filleted, cleaned, and frozen right off the boat to maintain freshness. But if you analyze the process, the fish has been processed so quickly that rigor mortis hasn’t set in, and low temperature stops the cell process. Yes, it’s that fresh.

With that said, you have to quickly clean the frozen block with running water to wipe off the excessive dust, impurities, and bone shards since the tuna block has been cut off with a mechanical saw.

Then take 40 degrees celsius water (warm) with about 4% of the salt added. Tuna flesh has approximately 4% salt inside, and by matching the salt density, the moisture won’t escape from the tuna out to the water. Place the tuna for less than a minute. You have to pay attention to the meat during this process since the rigor mortis will set in, and flesh will start to shrink. Take the fish out right away if this happens.

Quickly rinse off with water to remove the salt and dry it with a kitchen towel. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel, put it in an airtight bag, and thaw with the ice water for 1-2 hours. The quicker you can thaw the tuna, the better the flesh you get.

Once it thaws, you can let it rest for another hour inside a refrigerator, and the flavor will deepen. It’s ready to serve.

FYI, there are three different types of tunas.
Bluefin, Big Eye, Yellowfin.

Bluefin is the cream of the crop. The best there is, and there are two varieties of it. Northern Bluefin is what people consider the best in the world, and Southern Bluefin is just as good but less known.

The big eye is well known for that deep, bright, dense red flesh. It’s less expensive, and it’s not half bad.

Yellowfin tuna is the most common one. The flesh is lighter in color, and the flavor is more delicate. This is the cheapest variety, but that doesn’t mean it’s terrible. I use some of this at times if the quality isn’t bad.

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I thought raw fish always need to be frozen before eating. How do they handle parasites?

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"Kiyoshi Kimura, head of sushi shamisen, bid 333.6 million yen ($3.1 million) for the black tuna caught in Aomori prefecture, double the price he won in 2013.

原文網址: 全球最貴的黑鮪魚在這裡 拍賣價逼近1兆台幣 | 好房網News https://news.housefun.com.tw/news/article/153628216522.html"

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I stand corrected. Fresh was highly prized, but nowadays, though it is still somewhat okay, most tunas are cleaned and frozen to kill the parasites. (There are advanced tunnel freezers now that can keep the fish’s freshness right off the boat.) I know some high-end places in Japan that still serve fresh Tuna caught that day.

Parasites, in general, are more of a problem in freshness. Once caught, cleaned, and gutted, the Tuna is considered pretty safe to eat raw. But since the freezers have gotten so much better, it’s better to freeze the fish since it lasts longer, easier to transport and store.

See? I’ve been out of it for a while. :face_with_peeking_eye:

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Yes, these auctions are no joke. Some serious money there, and that was a while back. It seems like every year, the record is being broken for how much the fish has been auctioned for.

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They probably use liquid nitrogen to freeze.

Good ! Where is your restaurant?

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My truck is in Tainan, but it’s been tricky the past couple of weeks with Omicron and rain. We closed last week due to the heavy rain. Hopefully, the rain will settle down a bit this weekend.

(I haven’t really advertised much, since I will put more effort and open more days during summer.)

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OK, well good luck with your business. If you time keep us updated as I would like to try and Tainan is not too far away (hour by car) me.

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Why are atlantic more than problem than norwegian? Culture practices, region, genetics? Sounds interesting!

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