A few weeks ago I blogged about my first trip to a Japanese restaurant, at Halifax’s Milamodo. If you want to check out that blog, click here . I’m pleased to report that my interest intrying sushi has turned to an insatiable thirst. Like an addict, I now find myself unable to think of anything but sushi when I’m having a craving, and lately those cravings have been coming on a daily basis! And unlike other addictions that are normally bad for you, sushi is the ultimate to-go food that is uber-healthy and tasty.

First, for newbies – and I was one just a few weeks ago – to prep you for your first sushi experience there are a few things you should know. First, is the difference between maki, nigiri and sashimi. I’ll explain them modularly. Sashimi is the thin slice of meat, often fish, and yes, it’s raw. Beef sashimi is a delightful appetizer and is a good way to start eating uncooked food. I find sashimi is full on flavour, and you can appreciate the subtle tastes that make Japanese food so special.

Next on the list, and my personal favourite, is nigiri. Nigiri is a chestnut-sized ball of sticky rice, rolled into a sphere, and draped with a piece of sashimi. You still get a lot of the flavour with the added extra of rice. To date, I have been trying lots of nigiri, and still have a way to go. My favourite is hotategai, or scallop sushi. Scallops were a favourite of Lady Diana, and I always feel like royalty when eating them. With hotategai nigiri, you can truly taste the scallops, rather than overriding the taste with say bacon wrapping, which is a fairly typical Western appetizer.

You can’t help but be impressed by sushi chefs who strive to have each nigiri roll contain between 160 and 170 rice grains per portion, as aficionados find that this is the perfect amount to compliment to tastes of sashimi, ergo making the perfect piece of nigiri.

Most common, and perhaps the image most folks have of sushi, is maki rolls. These are tightly rolled pinwheels of deliciousness, notably for the midnight black nori seaweed. I found nori to be an acquired taste, so you will be glad to know that as a first timer, you can also get soy sheets, and even lettuce, as the wrap rather than nori.

When it comes to eating sushi, put the whole piece in your mouth for maximum effect. With nigiri and maki, I cannot think of any other way of eating it. Use your chopsticks – or fingers – to grab on and bring the goodness to your mouth. Soy sauce, green wasabi, and flamboyantly pink pickled ginger are plated with the sushi for your condiments. I am a wasabi lover, and find that my fortitude for this insanely hot piquant improves with each piece of sushi I eat.

Lastly, at least for decorum, never ever point your chopsticks at someone. In Japanese culture, it is perhaps the rudest thing that can be done, and you won’t want to insult your server and sushi chef.

When it comes to where to go for sushi in Halifax you almost can’t go wrong anywhere. Being so close to the ocean, sushi chefs have a wide selection of fresh seafood to select from on a daily basis. Since lobster is such a staple of the Atlantic Canada culinary scene perhaps you would like to try lobster sushi, known as onigara maki / nigiri. You can get a much better taste of the lobster than say, dipping it into a battleship’s worth of melted butter, and the avocado and julienned English cucumber add coolness and moisture. It’s marvellous.

With maki rolls, often the nori seaweed is often considered to be the “skin”. I reckon because it is what holds it all together and is what is visible from the outside. Did you know that a number of other “skins” are available? I touched on soy wrapper and lettuce earlier in this blog, but there are a number of other ways to go. From tender slivers of Kobe beef, to golden sweet potato, refreshing avocado, and pretty-in-pink salmon, you have so many choices – so the sky is the limit.

It seems like there is a never-ending selection of sushi popping up all over metro Halifax. From expanded grocery store items, to haute cuisine, it’s all here. So, it’s easy to find something to suit all tastes and budgets. I couldn’t begin to truly recommend one restaurant over another, and having worked my way around town a bit, every experience I’ve had was enjoyable and positive. In fact, it always has me lingering for more bite-size morsels of Japanese Zen. Sayonara ‘til next time.