Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Salmon-Skin Rolls: Voted Least Likely To Be A HowChow Favorite, But Now A Crunchy Contrast

Salmon skin roll at Sushi Sono
Who would have ever expected to write rhapsodically about eating fish skin?

It sounds like a joke, but the salmon skin roll has become one of our favorites since I learned about them from a friend.

Almost every sushi restaurant offers their variation on this cooked roll.  Thin pieces of salmon skin with a little attached fish, broiled until crisp and then rolled sometimes with vegetables and the standard nori and rice.

Done right, it's a contrast with regular sushi rolls -- crunch and an unctuous char among dishes that can have a similar texture of rice-fish-nori-rice-fish-nori.  I think we tend to order salmon skin rolls when we have a few people around the table.  One or two pieces punctuate a meal.  We don't need half of the rolls to have skin.

Over the winter, we discovered that Sushi Sono does an exceptional salmon skin roll.  More meat than many other variations and cooked to the precise point where the skin crunches, but hasn't burned.  That version may even be better than our prior favorite at Yama Sushi in Ellicott City.

If you're looking for something fun, I really suggest getting 6-10 people together for one of the private rooms at Sushi Sono or Sushi King.  They both offer special tables where you sit on benches in an enclosed space.  Exotic fun for adults -- and surprising kid-friendly because we have had toddlers wander around the room without bothering anyone outside.  Check out my post about the Sushi Sono room, and call either place to reserve the roms.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We used to go to Sushi King or Katana all of the time...until we found Sushi Tendou in Maple Lawn. Presentation, service and, most importantly, the food, are superb and leave these others in the dust.

Rob said...

One of my co-workers loves salmon skin, loves sushi. I'm going to have to tell her about this one!

Xani said...

Been a salmon skin roll fan for years- have even made semi-successful versions at home a couple times.

Have you ever seen (locally) spicy tuna on crispy rice? This was (maybe still is) HUGE in Los Angeles but I've never seen it around here.