Sashimi is a Japanese dish that consists mainly of thinly sliced raw fish and other seafood. Other than a garnish or radish or some other cruciferous vegetable as a garnish, sashimi is only accompanied by a dipping sauce. The sashimi dipping sauce is often made of soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger. It is common in Japanese restaurants to have sashimi served with a small empty bowl and the ingredients for the dipping sauce. This allows diners to create their own sauce with the sweet ginger, spicy wasabi, and savory soy sauce. Lemon juice is sometimes also added to the sauce, offering a lovely acidity.

The word sashimi literally means “pierced body.” This may have to do with the fact that the fillets of fish are sliced raw. Some believe that this term comes from the traditional way of serving the fillets in which the tail or fin rests atop the dish to denote the type of fish that is being served.

In traditional Japanese dining, sashimi is often the first course. However, the dish may also be served as an entree when accompanied with a bowls of rice and miso soup, a traditional Japanese soup made with a miso or fermented soy base, cubes of tofu, and seaweed. Sashimi is served as a first course because of its delicate flavors. It is believed that if the dish follows a rather strong course, that the flavors will not be as noticeable or enjoyable. Sashimi is always intended to be eaten with chopsticks.

Many Japanese restaurants offer a house sashimi plate that includes an array of different fish. However, it is often possible to design your own sashimi plate. In this instance, it is important to know the Japanese names of the fishes. Salmon is referred to as sake. Tuna is maguro, and fatty tuna is toro. Saba refers to mackerel. Yellowtail fish is hamachi. Of course, sashimi is not exclusively fish. Squid, or ika, and tako which means octopus, are also types of sashimi. While sashimi is almost always a raw dish, shrimp is often served in sashimi as a cooked addition. Cooked shrimp is known as ebi.

Restaurants that offer sashimi also generally offer sushi. Sushi is also a raw fish dish. However, the slices of fish are draped atop a mound of rice. Sushi also often incorporates ingredients other than raw fish, such as seaweed, vinegar, and other spices.