Kosher Sushi:

What would be the ingredients for a kosher sushi menu?

Sushi is a popular fish dish from the Far East which has proven to be popular with the Jewish community. Sushi actually comprises of a number of different types of fish, and of ingredients which may or may not be kosher. If you want to eat a sushi meal with kosher ingredients, you have to know and understand what all of the ingredients are, and how they can be kosher under the right circumstances. Therefore, in order to work out what is kosher sushi, and what it should contain, you need to look more carefully at the ingredients list for traditional sushi recipes.

Nori wrappings

Sushi is traditionally wrapped with a seaweed paper known as nori. This is produced from a number of different types of algae seaweed which is turned into paper through a drying and shredding process. Nori is high in protein, calcium and iron, and is generally considered to be very good for the eater. Jewish law, however, is not sure about some types of nori which are used in sushi-making. The main problem with this is that processors will include flavourings and ingredients that are not-kosher. Ajitsuke nori is flavoured and is not kosher. Fresh nori sheets can quickly become tainted by insects, so are also not kosher. Only dried Yaki nori can be used.

Sushi rice

Although rice itself is not a problem for a kosher diet, the problem can be in the preparation of the grain. If you want to use pre-cooked rice in your kosher sushi meal, then you should know that rice falls under the bishul yisroel, which means that a Jewish cook has to at least participate in the cooking of the rice. If you buy part-cooked rice, and then cook it at home, that will suffice, since you will complete the requirements of the bishul yisroel yourself. However, bought cooked rice will probably never be kosher.

Fish

The most important part of any kosher sushi is the fish used in the meal. Under Jewish law, all kosher fish has to have scales and fins. The types of fish include tuna and salmon, but fish such as shrimp and prawns and eel are all unsuitable for Jewish consumption. It is important not to eat any fish which has been contaminated by shellfish, for example.

Seasonings

Along with all of the other products included in this list, if you want to have a kosher sushi, you must also be certain that the seasonings are correct. Soy sauce is the most commonly used ingredient, and must be certified as kosher, since equipment which handles non-kosher foods can be involved in the making of soy sauce. Rice vinegar is in the same situation, where non-kosher wines and rice vinegar are made in the same pot.