Thinking Outside the Roll

When you mention the word sushi, the typical image is that of rolls and nigiri zushi. But sushi can be so much more than that. Here's a look at some of sushi's many forms:

MAKI ZUSHI
Maki zushi refers to all rolled sushi. This category can be slightly confusing because several types of rolls fall under this category.
Nori maki: rolls made with nori seaweed
Hoso maki: (dainty bites) thin rolls that usually contain 1 to 2 ingredients
Futo maki: (big mouth rolls) thick sushi rolls that contain many ingredients
Ura maki: (inside out) rolls made with ingredients inside and rice on the outside. Sometimes additional ingredients are placed on the top of rolls for visual effect.
Temaki zushi: (hand rolled sushi) nori seaweed is topped with sushi rice and fillings then rolled up in hand. This roll can be cone shaped or cigar shaped and is meant to be eaten without being cut. Simply eat as you would an ice cream cone.

NIGIRI ZUSHI
Although nigiri-zushi is most widely recognized as a pair of hand formed rice ball dabbed with wasabi and covered with a slice of fresh, raw fish, this is not always the case. Cooked seafood, vegetables, beef tataki (beef that is slightly seared on the edges), and almost anything else you can think of may be used.

OTHER TYPES OF SUSHI
Battera zushi, oshi zushi: (box pressed) rice and seafood with vegetables are pressed into a special mold, then unmolded and cut into bite sized pieces
Chirashi zushi: (scattered sushi) a base of sushi rice is covered with an assortment of seafood and vegetable toppings

SASHIMI
Although sushi and sashimi go together like peas and carrots, sashimi is not a type of sushi. It belongs in a category of its own because of the absence of vinegar dressed rice. Sashimi is the reason most people think of sushi as being raw fish.