This sushi roll was not on the menu; it was a special written on a piece of paper and stuck to the wall. It was a rice roll, and inside it had shrimp tempura, asparagus, and a generous amount of spicy tuna, and outside it had spicy crab, thin beef slices, and jalapeño. There was more tender and flavorful beef on the side; it was probably teriyaki style. The Texas boy was spicy, saucy, somewhat sweet, and desirable.
Location: Best Sushi, 13525 Palm Drive #3, Desert Hot Springs, California. Date: December 18, 2023.
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This sushi roll combined two of my favorites on the outside: baked eel and raw fish (in this case it was tuna). Inside the rice was tempura shrimp and spicy crab. On the bottom of the plate was sweet and savory eel sauce, and the roll was garnished with masago (flying fish roe). This roll had a rich flavor with some crunch from the tempura shrimp and the fish eggs. The red came from the tuna, and shrimp tails protruded from each end of the roll making it more dragon-like. There was also some avocado on top for creaminess. I had this roll at a Mexican sushi bar, so I'll call it fusion sushi.
Location: Hamachi, 31855 Date Palm, Cathedral City, California. Date: June 24, 2023. Today I decided to find out how good a sushi roll could be for those who can't, or won't, eat raw fish. I chose the baked snapper roll that had cooked crab, cucumber, and seaweed inside, and rice on the outside topped with baked snapper and avocado. The snapper was baked with mayo, and the roll also sported eel sauce and mango sauce. The roll was savory and a touch sweet, and it was delicious. Sushi bars really know how to cook fish without making it fishy or dry. The secret may be the mayo.
Location: Hamachi Sushi, 31855 Date Palm Drive, Ste 11, Cathedral City, California. Date: April 20, 2023. I often think of food as sexy, especially some sushi, so I couldn't resist the Sexy Roll on the menu at Edoko. This roll consists of tuna, salmon, and izumidai (which is a nice word for tilapia) wrapped in cucumber. This is a refreshing roll with no rice, which put it on my sister's diet; however, even though she really liked the roll, she found nothing sexy about it. I think this roll is noteworthy because of the lack of rice and also because of the beautiful cucumber wrap. I don't think the purple light was necessary, but it was an interesting touch.
Location: Edoko Sushi, 69-195 Ramon Road, Cathedral City, California. Date: March 18, 2023. I used to enjoy sitting at a sushi bar ordering piece by piece, but that doesn't seem to happen around here anymore. You get a list of sushi and a pencil, and you check off what you want. My sushi was all served together on one plate, and actually I'm glad it was because the presentation was beautiful. I ordered salmon (which I always do), salmon eggs, yellowtail, and albacore. A little ponzu sauce was sprinkled on the fish for a hint of citrus, and the plate came with a thick lemon slice that I squeezed onto the salmon. The salmon eggs seemed to be saltier than usual, so I squeezed some lemon onto my second one and didn't dip it into the soy sauce. That helped. The surprise was the albacore. It came with finely sliced red onion on top. I haven't seen that at a sushi bar before, but it was delicious. To my surprise, the albacore was the star on my plate.
Location: Otori Sushi, 68100 Ramon Road, Ste A1, Cathedral City, California. Date: February 4, 2023. On a rare rainy day in the desert, I ordered the Sunshine sushi roll. It worked; it brightened up my day. One of my favorite sushi is salmon with a thin lemon slice, and this roll catered to my taste. It was a California roll stuffed with cucumber, crab, and avocado, and the outer rice was topped with salmon, thin slices of lemon (rind and all), and more avocado (thinly sliced). It sat on a drizzle of ponzu sauce (citrus flavored soy sauce), and it was garnished with toasted sesame seeds. There was sourness from the lemon, crunch from the cucumber, lusciousness from the raw salmon, and some nuttiness from the sesame seeds. This roll was bright and refreshing.
Location: Hamachi Sushi, 31855 Date Palm Drive, Ste 11, Cathedral City, California. Date: January 14, 2023. No, not that! This weirdly named sushi bar specialty is portobello mushroom stuffed with spicy tuna, crab meat, smelt eggs, and onion. It was deep fried and drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce. Basically, it's a stuffed mushroom cap tempura style. It was a little sweet and a little crunchy with nice umami mushroom flavor. But yes, it does look like brain from a split open skull.
Location: Dragon Sushi, 72261 Highway 111, Ste 131, Palm Desert, California. Date: August 20, 2022. I think this may be the first sushi roll I've had with beef on the outside. Inside the roll was shrimp tempura, crab, and avocado, but on top were tender and thin slices of wagyu beef garnished with various colors of sesame seeds. It worked. It was a delicious roll with a subtle smokey taste from the meat. It was served on a salad of salanova lettuce (whose claim to fame is that it has more leaves than any other lettuce type) with avocado vinaigrette. The sushi bar where I found this roll is owned by a Turkish sushi chef who studied in Japan (I've also heard of a Turkish sumo wrestler who wrestles in Japan). Interesting.
Location: Sandfish, 1556 N Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. Date: July 9, 2022. This is the second Coachella Roll I've come across in the valley; the first one was documented in my book “Coachella Desert Cuisine”. The one I'm blogging about today, though, was much more than just a sushi roll; it was a whole meal. It was sushi rice on the outside and seaweed inside surrounding spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. The roll slices were served flat and generously topped with chopped tuna, crab, shrimp, snapper, salmon, and serrano pepper slices. There was a creamy sauce on the bottom that was supposedly cilantro sauce with spicy mayo, though I failed to taste the cilantro. This dish was creamy and spicy with some crunch from the tempura and the raw pepper slices. There were so many flavors going on here but all in the best way. This dish showed off the innovative nature of Mexican style sushi, and I'm glad it was named after our desert valley.
Location: Hamachi Sushi, 31855 Date Palm Drive, Suite 11, Cathedral City, California. Date: June 12, 2022 This is an enhanced California sushi roll. The roll was stuffed with crab, avocado, and cucumber, and it was wrapped in seaweed and surrounded by sushi rice. The rice was topped with raw tuna slices and more avocado, and it was garnished with serrano pepper slices and seasoned with lime juice and spicy sesame sauce. This sushi bar combines traditional Japanese flavors with Mexican ingredients. My roll was spicy, sour, and refreshing. I'll definitely order this one again.
Location: Hamachi Sushi, 31855 Date Palm Drive, Ste 11, Cathedral City, California. Date: March 2, 2022. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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