The 3 Main Types of Sushi: Sashimi, Nigiri and Rolls

Sashimi is basically just sliced fish served raw. There's not much to do in the way of preparation except slicing your fish properly and making sure it's kept chilled until ready to serve. Pieces should be no more than 1/2 inch thick and about 2 inches in length.

Nigiri are balls of rice with a slice of fish, omelet, or shellfish on top. The rice ball should be formed to be about an inch thick and 2 inches long. Traditionally, a small bit of wasabi paste is placed on the ball before adding the topping, but you can omit it if you're not a fan of spicy flavors.

The basic sushi roll starts with placing a piece of plastic wrap on your table and laying down a sheet of nori. Using your flat spoon, spread a layer of sushi rice on the nori about 1/4 inch thick and covering the sheet almost to the edge, leaving about 1/2 inch of nori visible at the other end.

Place your toppings lengthwise on one end of the sheet about 1/2 inch away from the long edge. Try to stay simple as the more ingredients you add, the harder it is to roll up at the end. A common combination for a California roll is imitation crab and avocado or cucumber. Once your ingredients are laid out, start from the toppings-side of the roll and pick up the plastic wrap, bending it toward the rest of the rice. Press down lightly to start sealing the roll as you move it toward the empty end of the rice sheet. The rice should act like glue and stick to itself, forming a log at the end.To slice, dip a sharp knife in water or coat it very lightly with cooking spray. Begin at one end and slice the log into pieces 3/4 to 1 inch thick. If the roll is difficult to slice, clean your knife in the water again or re-spray. Once your sushi is prepared, you can add some common sushi bar treats to your final table. Hot green tea is commonly served alongside sushi as a palate cleanser before the meal. Two common condiments to your sushi plate are sliced pickled ginger and wasabi paste which are becoming more commonly found in the international aisles in the grocery stores.

Chopsticks can be found in many kitchen stores but traditionally chopsticks are only used to take individual pieces of sushi off the community plate to bring to your personal plate. At that point, many sushi fans prefer to use their fingers. If you have difficulty finding any of the ingredients, there are many specialty stores online that sell all sorts of sushi products. You can get creative with arranging your sushi on a platter, or invite everyone in the kitchen for a sushi-making party! Itadakimasu (let's eat)!