Tataki vs. Sashimi: Japanese Raw Fish Dishes
The culture of eating raw fish, say in the form of sashimi and sushi, is unique to Japan, and now, gourmets in many countries love those traditional Japanese dishes.
Therefore, I think many overseas people know well what sashimi is, but how about tataki (たたき)?
Tataki vs. Sashimi
Tataki is similar to sashimi. But how does it differ from the latter?
Today, let me spot the difference between the two for people who haven’t tried the Japanese dish yet.
Sashimi (刺身)
First, as you know, sashimi typically consists of thinly sliced raw fish and clam.
But thin slices of food other than seafood, such as chicken, horse meat, konnyaku, bamboo shoots, and yuba (tofu skin), can also be the ingredients.
Sashimi is a dish where you can enjoy the original taste of ingredients, which usually come with shoyu (soy sauce) and wasabi, eaten by dipping in the sauce.
Tataki (たたき)
The origin of the word derives from Tataki-Kiru (叩き切る), the Japanese word for “chop” in English.
So tataki is a dish of chopped food, usually using fresh raw fish such as Aji (アジ: horse mackerel), Iwashi (イワシ: sardine), and Tobiuo (トビウオ: flying fish).
As with sashimi, the prepared things are eaten with soy sauce but typically garnished with chopped green onions, grated ginger, and Oba green shiso leaves.
Katsuo no Tataki (カツオのたたき)
In Japanese cuisine, there is one more tataki dish. It consists of sliced raw fish or beef, but its outer surface is seared and brown (the inside remains raw).
The representative of this type is Katsuo no Tataki (カツオのたたき: skipjack tuna’s tataki), which we often eat with ponzu sauce or soy sauce made tangy with citrus fruit juice such as Sudachi.
Typical garnishes for Katsuo no Tataki are Oba, grated ginger/garlic/daikon radish, and chopped green onions.
(Reference Pages: Wikipedia 刺身, たたき )
