Seafood Sticker Shock
On Monday I decided to try my hand at making sushi. I had bought a book and a bunch of serving ware at World Market, and I was ready to go. California rolls sounded like a good beginner's sushi, because there is no raw fish (it contains roe, cucumber, avocado, and shrimp).
Now, normally I would shop for groceries at the commissary on base, but that is about a 35 minute drive each way. Since it was already Monday afternoon by the time I went in search of ingredients, I decided to just go to the Safeway that is only about 20 minutes away. I figured that I would save enough money on gas to make up for the higher prices. Boy was I wrong.
The cheapest frozen jumbo shrimp at Safeway were $13.50 per pound! I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew shrimp was expensive, but that was just too much. Plus, they didn't have roe of any kind at Safeway. So I drove to the commissary after all.
At the commissary, the shrimp was a much more reasonable $4.50/lb. They also did not have the kind of roe I was looking for (smelt, flying fish, or ocean trout) but at least they did have caviar (black lumpfish). I figured that was close enough.
I arrived home with my ingredients and opened the sushi book, only to discover that the rice needed to be rinsed and then drained for 30 minutes. At this point it was already 5:30. I plopped Tiger into her highchair and gave her a snack to play with while I ran around like a madwoman putting everything together.
We finally ate at around 7pm, but it was definitely worth the wait. The caviar did taste a little bit strange, but otherwise the rolls turned out quite good. We sipped warm sake with our meal and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
In the future, I most likely will plan a little better before making sushi. For example, I just found a place online where I can buy masago, the kind of roe I needed. If you are strongly detail oriented and you feel like a little adventure, you might try making sushi. Just don't shop at Safeway if you do.
Now, normally I would shop for groceries at the commissary on base, but that is about a 35 minute drive each way. Since it was already Monday afternoon by the time I went in search of ingredients, I decided to just go to the Safeway that is only about 20 minutes away. I figured that I would save enough money on gas to make up for the higher prices. Boy was I wrong.
The cheapest frozen jumbo shrimp at Safeway were $13.50 per pound! I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew shrimp was expensive, but that was just too much. Plus, they didn't have roe of any kind at Safeway. So I drove to the commissary after all.
At the commissary, the shrimp was a much more reasonable $4.50/lb. They also did not have the kind of roe I was looking for (smelt, flying fish, or ocean trout) but at least they did have caviar (black lumpfish). I figured that was close enough.
I arrived home with my ingredients and opened the sushi book, only to discover that the rice needed to be rinsed and then drained for 30 minutes. At this point it was already 5:30. I plopped Tiger into her highchair and gave her a snack to play with while I ran around like a madwoman putting everything together.
We finally ate at around 7pm, but it was definitely worth the wait. The caviar did taste a little bit strange, but otherwise the rolls turned out quite good. We sipped warm sake with our meal and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
In the future, I most likely will plan a little better before making sushi. For example, I just found a place online where I can buy masago, the kind of roe I needed. If you are strongly detail oriented and you feel like a little adventure, you might try making sushi. Just don't shop at Safeway if you do.
posted by Mel, Foxtail Farm | 6:44 PM
3 Comments:
Glad to see that our sushi experiment when you came to visit got you inspired. It sounded like a great dinner. Mom
I tried sushi once -- also California rolls. They tasted good. Their appearance would best be described as "earnest."
Some of our local grocery stores now have sushi. When I made my own, the expenses were not so horrible. I bought the flying fish eggs at a specialty store. The sea legs weren't too costly. Better luck next time!
And can I come over? It's only a continent away!
lol, I can't really picture "earnest" sushi. However, my mother once called some sushi rolls "cute" because they were small. We teased her about that a lot.
Of course you can come over. Just let me know next time you are in Tucson. Although if you wait too long you'll have to come to Dubuque instead.
--Mel
Post a Comment
<< Home