A beautiful sashimi platter at home is one of the best DIY sushi night ideas because you can turn chill-mode on, and make a show stopping dinner, but without spending a ton to eat out. It’s fast and easy with NO rolls! Pull up at the table in your finest sweats, and enjoy an at home sashimi platter that just impresses in every way.
Sushi is one of those things that if I was stranded on an island, I’d choose sushi as my dream food to be stuck with.
I often went out for sushi dinner with just myself, and then with my husband…before kids. I’ve even worked at a sushi restaurant way back when.
From exciting spots like Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, Katsuya HW, Sugarfish Manhattan Beach, to the mom and pop, sushi truck pop-ups…I’m there and I’ve been to many.
It’s needless to say that the expertise and extensive years of study that sushi chefs go through to learn this art, it’s truly beautiful and incredible. No comparison.
Now, I have some little mouths to feed and they require a slightly different menu and a lot less precision. Not to mention, it’s easier to eat at home with my family than spend the money for high-end sushi dinners.
While I do really love an exquisite sashimi platter while I’m out and about, it’s the relaxed feeling of home comforts, mixed with the contrast of a really good sushi plate, that levels up the entire moment.
It’s also a perfect “at home date night” with my husband because good food…is a good mood.
WHATS GOOD ABOUT An At Home Sushi and Sashimi Platter
- It’s an exciting, fast, and easy dinner!
- You can make it with NO rolling experience!
- If you like rolls and can make rolls, they can easily be added or just buy some and add them in.
- You can eat a lot of sashimi for a quarter of the price of dining out.
- Sashimi is super simple because you just have to slice it!
- Simple, homemade rice cooker sushi rice is easy, and the short grain rice can be bought at most grocery stores.
- Perfect date night idea, at home.
- When you’re home, you don’t need to worry about knife skills for cutting the fish.
- Wanna eat in your sweatpants or pajamas? No problem!
WHAT IS the best Sushi Platter
An at home sashimi platter is truly an elevation in regards to some of the best sushi night ideas.
You don’t need to roll anything, but it should have four types of sushi (at least) to make it a nice and fun dinner.
Of course, the fish has to be very fresh and high-quality sashimi grade.
Definitely have good rice cooker sushi rice made for speed.
Don’t forget the wasabi and fresh pickled ginger. Essentials!
Lastly, have a nice sushi plate and some wares that bring more “flavor” to the experience. Nothing better than cozying up at the table to good food with a good presentation.
Where to shop Raw Fish for Sashimi?
Shop for raw sushi fish at a Japanese grocery or nice market that specializes in sashimi-grade fish.
Do not buy freshwater fish for sushi or sashimi.
Due to this being a DIY sushi night idea, you will be safest and have the best selection when going to such establishments, like a Japanese market, that have the expertise in preparing and offering fish for the perfect at home sushi dinner.
How to choose Raw Fish for Sushi Night
- Buy the same day and make it the same day. This is must-do rule for me when purchasing fish for sashimi.
- Go to a store where you know they sell a lot of sushi and people are always buying sushi and raw cuts for sashimi.
- Take notice that the ones preparing the sushi and raw fish for sashimi are highly trained and are wearing proper attire such as a hair net, apron, and gloves.
- Shop at a clean store and the seafood area should not smell.
- Check the packed on date for the same day, and get the fish that is further back as they usually were just packed that very day.
- Do not choose fish that looks slimy, smells, bruised, is torn, or off-color.
- Choose fish that is firm and bouncy, never mushy.
- The packaging should not have water, other liquids, or condensation.
- The packaging should be tight and wrapped properly.
- RAW FISH FOR SUSHI AND SASHIMI SHOULD NOT SMELL FISHY.
Elements and INGREDIENTS for a SUSHI SASHIMI Platter
A DIY sushi and sashimi platter is truly the most versatile of sushi night ideas because you can switch it up depending on whatever the best fish offerings are at your local Japanese store.
You can choose to make rolls, but for the ease and practicality of it, just buy some rolls and nigiri to add in there.
For a beautiful sashimi platter choose popular fish cuts such as the following, in addition to suggested sides and condiments.
As mentioned, shop at a grocery that specializes in sashimi grade fish cuts (an absolute requirement) and you will most likely find these selections depending on season and location.
Fish Selection Must Haves
- Tuna Belly (Toro) or Blue Fin Tuna – So soft, fatty, and rich. Yummy!
- Yellowtail (Hamachi) – So deliciously soft and buttery.
- Salmon (Sake) – A rich and flavorful cut, packed with Omega-3’s.
- Amberjack (Kanpachi) – Known as greater yellowtail, it has a clean taste, nice soft bite, a little buttery, and mild sweetness.
Really Nice to Have…
- Sea Bream (Tai) – So good! Nice medium dense texture with a sweeter flavor profile.
- Scallop (Hotate) – Has a nice sweet flavor, soft and smooth bite, and one of my favorites.
- Uni (Sea Urchin) – This deep orange hued gem of a sushi choice is beautifully briny, salty, creamy, mildly sweet and earthy. A must for me! Fresh uni is intact and slightly firm, and you can see the texture and shape is defined.
Accompaniments and Sides
Must HaveS
- Sushi Rice – Easiest is buy short grain rice that you can microwave.
You can also cook short grain rice and make it in the rice cooker.
Then buy seasoned rice vinegar (it will say it’s for sushi rice because it was made with kombu) and lightly drizzle.
Fluff and let the rice sit for additional ten minutes. This is a very shortcut way, but still makes great rice for your sushi night idea.
- Seaweed Snacks – Just buy these and open a few packages up…and there you go, tasty, salty, seaweed paper that is perfect for loading with rice and fish (kinda like a taco). You can also buy pre-cut nori.
Really Nice to Add On
- Steamed Edamame – Microwave or steamed on the stove.
- Shishito Peppers – Sautéed and blistered in light oil with sea salt sprinkle.
- Daikon Radish Sprouts– A great side to add to the fish with some seaweed and rice all together.
- Seaweed Salad – This can be purchased ready made.
- Cucumber Salad – Just cut, squeeze lemon, add a little salt or dash of rice vinegar. Use Persian cucumbers for most crisp.
- Pickled Carrot and Daikon– Also a winner with the raw fish and topped with rice and wrapped in seaweed.
- Masago (fish roe) – Salty, briny, and yummy with rice!
- Gyoza (potstickers)
Condiments
- Fresh Pickled Ginger – easy to buy
- Wasabi – Powder form, bottled, or you can buy little packs at the grocery store. A lot of times, there’s a pack already in the fish containers you will purchase.
- Soy Sauce – Regular or Low Sodium is fine. Tamari and gluten free work too!
- Lemon Slices – Goes well with the salmon sashimi and with some sea salt or black salt.
- Shoyu Soy Sauce – (optional) This is available at most Japanese and many regular grocery stores (labeled “sushi and sashimi” soy sauce). The soy sauce is seasoned with sugar and rice vinegar for a nicely balanced dip, making it perfect for a sashimi platter and DIY sushi night.
- Fresh Wasabi – (optional) In the States it can be hard to find, and fresh wasabi root doesn’t come cheap. If you can find it, it’s nice to grate and pair with the yellowtail.
It’s wonderful and a favorite of mine, but too bad I can rarely find fresh wasabi at the store.
- Shiso Leaf or Perilla Leaves – (optional) Mildly anise, basil-ish flavor. It also pairs nicely with yellowtail as a little wrap.
- Jalapenos – Use a mandolin for thin slices. Goes great with tuna.
- Avocado – Cut some slices, and fold in with seaweed wrap, the rice, and any fish cut you like.
NOTE: Do not put any condiments on your sashimi. Put the condiments in bowls and dip the fish, then eat.
Adding Nigiri and Rolls
Sushi night at home needs to be fun, not complicated.
Literally, this is a fast sushi-inspired dinner. You can buy rolls and nigiri if you want to add them.
These are some nice choices to add on that can be found at many groceries that offer sushi…
- Avocado Roll
- Spicy Tuna Roll
- Rainbow Roll
- Sea Bream Nigiri
- Salmon Nigiri
- Uni Nigiri
- Salmon Roe Nigiri
EQUIPMENT
It doesn’t have to be fancy. No need to break out fine porcelain or special dishes.
Clean and long, or flat plates work really well. Having small bowls is nice for all the sides.
Chopsticks come with the fish when you buy it at a Japanese grocery store.
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- sushi plates or basically, just nice plates
- little soy sauce bowls or ramekins
- chopsticks
Do I need to wash Raw Fish for sashimi?
Yes, remove the sashimi grade fish from the packaging. Gently wash each one with cold water two times, and gently pat dry.
Also, be sure your knives and cutting board are sanitized and very clean, as well as your hands.
HOW TO MAKE DIY SUSHI NIGHT KICK OFF
Turn the music up and get to slicing. This is a fast dinner! If you just bought the fish and purchased the nigiri or rolls, it’s all a matter of slicing, plating, and sitting down.
Plating Sushi
First, grab a sushi plate or two, and also some small bowls.
Prep the sides in the small bowls, have soy sauce handy, and add wasabi and pickled ginger to the sides of the sushi plates, or in those double sided sauce dishes.
Here’s the shopping page to my favorite sushi plate finds and sushi night must haves. (Non-sponsored, just stuff I like.)
You’re the only chef that matters tonite. Don’t overthink or worry about perfection. Slice it, and make it nice. That’s all you have to do.
Cutting the Sashimi
On a clean cutting board and with your sharp knife, slice your first slab of sashimi grade fish. Usually the fish for sashimi is cut perfectly and all you need to do it slice it AGAINST the grain in rectangular like pieces.
A slight angle helps to cut through the slices for fish like salmon and tuna.
Please note that the purpose of DIY sushi night is to enjoy, so do not over-stress about knife skills. Try your best for thinly sliced pieces and having a sharp knife will ensure the fish is not torn during cutting.
Part of the joy in this sashimi platter dinner is the aesthetics, but it doesn’t have to be sushi-chef-perfect. Again, cut against the grain.
Laying the sashimi slices down in a straight line, slightly layered on top of each other, is a very good start and makes for a uniform and nice appearance to your sashimi platter.
Place rolls on a separate sushi plate or space on the platter, and also, plating them uniformly looks the best.
Avoid crowding, giving lots of space and focusing on everything looking uniform and cohesive. You’ll be on your way to sushi night success.
If you have some irregular and end pieces you can make mixed poke.
Summary Notes on making a Beautiful diy Sushi Sashimi Platter
- buy the freshest, sashimi grade fish
- sanitize your hands, cutting board, and knives
- Keep your fish cold and do not slice until ready to eat.
- wash the fish slabs and pat them dry
- cut raw fish against the grain, and with a slight angle, into rectangular like pieces
- lay the sashimi slices down in a very uniform pattern like a line, diagonal, or curved…but focusing on a slight layer and making all the pieces look the same as possible. After all, we eat with our eyes.
- Plate all the sides and condiments in their own little bowls.
- Have rice in their own rice bowls.
- Do not dress or pour any condiments on your sashimi. Dip the sashimi in the condiments when you are ready to eat.
- Have fun, kick back, and indulge in your DIY sushi night.
ADD INS AND VARIATIONS
A sushi and sashimi platter is very versatile. Try different fish each time if you like and make some sauces that are sweeter, spicy, and salty.
You can also try different kinds of rice and make it a bigger meal by adding entrees like noodles or meats to make sushi night a real party.
Make it KID FRIENDLY! Add gyoza, avocado rolls, and pan fried noodles as a side.
MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Avocado Spring Rolls with Easy Peanut Sauce
Easy 20 Minute Salt and Pepper Shrimp (with Vinegar Dipping Sauce)
FAQS
Sushi and sashimi is best eaten on the same day. No, I cannot recommend saving leftovers.
Yes, you can freeze the raw fish. I would only recommend freezing the slab of fish for sashimi, rather that cut fish if you can avoid it.
Yes! Sashimi is full of protein, low fat, has healthy omega-3’s, and low calorie. If you only include vegetable and salad sides, this will be a very healthy meal.
It sure can be! Just use gluten free soy sauce.
Equipment
- sharp knife
- sushi plates
- little bowls
- chopsticks
Ingredients
Sushi and Sashimi Choices
- Blue Fin or Tuna Toro
- Salmon (sake)
- Yellowtail (hamachi)
- Amberjack (hamachi)
- Albacore optional
- Uni Nigiri optional
- Sea Bream (Tai) Nigiri optional
- Sea Scallop (Hotate) Nigiri optional
- Spicy Tuna Roll or Rainbow Roll optional
- Avocado Roll or Vegetable Roll optional
Condiments
- soy sauce or tamari, shoyu soy sauce, or low sodium soy sauce
- wasabi
- pickled ginger
Side Dishes
- 3 packs Seaweed snacks or Nori seaweed papers
- 1 cup Short grain rice
- 1¾ cup Water
- Seasoned Sushi Rice Vinegar optional
- 1 cup Edamame steamed
- 3 Persian cucumbers sliced thin
- 1 tbsp lemon fresh squeezed
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 avocado sliced
- ½ cup daikon radish sprouts long
- seaweed salad optional; buy at store
Instructions
Prepare your Sushi Plates and Tools
- Lay out your sashimi plates, little bowls, soy sauce dishes, chopsticks, and wash and clean the cutting board and knife.
If you Are Making Rice
- Use a rice cooker and add a cup of short grain rice. Premium Short Grain rice is for sushi.
- Add water, about 1¾ cups, and cook in the rice cooker. Or follow water instruction on the package.
- Once the rice is done, turn off the cooker completely, and keep rice in the closed rice cooker for ten more minutes.
- Then, open the rice cooker and sprinkle ¾ tablespoon of seasoned sushi rice vinegar over the rice. This rice vinegar is already seasoned with kombu and will say it's for sushi (find at a Japanese store).If you cannot find this, then sprinkle a half tablespoon of rice vinegar, a pinch of white sugar, and a pinch of salt.Then, use your rice spoon to fluff the rice, AND use a paper plate or something to lightly fan the rice for thirty seconds.
- Do not close the rice cooker all the way, leave it cracked open, and then let the rice sit for another fifteen minutes.
If you are Buying Microwave Rice
- There are Japanese brands of rice that come in microwavable containers (find in the rice isle of the store or Japanese grocery). Look for the Premium Short Grain rice and all you have to do is microwave it per the instructions.You can sprinkle a very small touch of rice vinegar and fluff with a fork, then transfer to a rice bowl.Do NOT make this kind of rice until ten minutes before you are ready to eat or else it will get too cold.
Make Your Side Dishes and Prep the Table
- In small bowls, put any side dishes you wish to have. Since this is an easy DIY sushi night idea, just purchase the edamame that is frozen and buy the seaweed salad, and whatever else you choose.
- Steam or microwave the edamame. Plate the seaweed salad and anything else in the small bowls.
- Clean and cut the Persian cucumbers, squeeze lemon, and sprinkle with sea salt. Plate this in a small bowl.
- Put your soy sauce in a serving container, or pour into some soy sauce dishes.Put the pickled ginger and the wasabi on the side of your sushi plates or in a double sided dish.
- Open your seaweed packs and put the seaweed papers in their own bowl or small dish.
- Put rice in rice bowls.
- Cut avocado and have in a bowl.
- Have chopsticks and everything on the table, ready to go.
Cut and Plate the Sashimi and Additional Sushi
- Wash the raw fish slabs, very gently, under cold water. Twice. Then pat dry.
- Wash your hands well then take your fish and begin to cut your sashimi.
- Cut each fish against the grain, in less than a quarter inch thick. Not too thin, but not more than a quarter inch thick.Use a very slight angle when cutting salmon and tuna.
- Wipe or wash and dry your knife when going to the next fish. Save any end pieces of the fish for making poke, or just add to the sashimi platter.
- Lay your fish down carefully, in a very uniform pattern.
- Shiso leaves go well with yellowtail. Lemons on the side go well with salmon (do not squeeze on the salmon unless you are ready to eat it). A little touch of sea salt on the salmon is nice. No other fish needs lemon.Blue Fin and Toro do not need anything on it.
- Put rolls that you have bought and nigiri on another sushi plate.
Serve and Enjoy!
- Once all your sashimi is cut and plated, you are ready to eat!
- A great thing to try is grab a seaweed paper, put some rice, add your fish, add some avocado or daikon sprout, dip in some soy sauce, and enjoy a big bite!
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