Pairing whisky with food. Sushi !
Hi guys !
I’m back with another article on pairing whisky, this time with food, more precisely sushi, which happens to be one of my favourite dishes!
I’m sure that for most you, whisky has a firm fixed after-dinner slot, but the tide is slowly turning and the wave of change is coming from the east, from the land of the rising sun: Japan ! Nowadays, on a modern Japanese dinner table, not only will you find a bottle of whisky, but also beer and sake as well. Let’s just say that the Japanese like to keep their option open, I kind of agree with them ! People are looking for new an interesting ways to spice up their meals and the sushi-whisky combo is becoming more and more popular.
By now, I’m sure you know that I’m not much of a beer fan (though I do enjoy a good Belgian beer every now and then), so we’re going to focus on whisky, of course. So in search of a routine breaker, I choose whisky and sushi as pairing.
At first, I’m thinking, some of you would say “But wait, sea food is way too subtle to pair up to a full bodied/well rounded scotch.”
But, just remember, sushi is not just raw fish, it’s a high variety of combinations, which include soy sauce, pickled ginger, vinegar rice and the spicy wasabi, then you get a very rich and strong taste, which, in my opinion, pairs very well with whisky.
When it comes to choosing your whisky to pair with your sushi, the best choice, by far, would be Japanese whisky, of course! I went with the Nikka Pure Malt Black this time, but you can also go for other brands, like Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki, etc. They are all well balanced and fine whiskies that can harmonise very well with sushi while still having a strong base of flavour. Also, Japanese whisky has just the right complexity to be able to combine and bring out the more subtle notes and flavours on the palate, which is why it is very well suited for food pairings.
Getting back to the Nikka Pure Malt Black; On the nose this one feels a bit heavier/maltier and has some peat smoke, but it is light to moderate, while the sweet fruity notes make it even more interesting. On the palate you will feel a combo of dark chocolate and dark berry fruit, along with toffee and vanilla. The finish is rich and strong, with the peat and the spice poping up, you will also taste some bitter notes. It provides not only a common base for the flavours found in sushi, but it also complements it, giving an almost perfect balance.
Of course, like with any pairings, you can opt for some other whisk(e)y to pair with your sushi. The Nikka Pure Malt Black is my preference, so far, but your mileage can vary, so you might find something else out there, in terms of whisky, which works better for you. But be careful, be sure to choose light and sweet whiskies, like Glenmorangie, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, etc.
Now, for sushi, you can go for the nigiri (be it with salmon, shrimp, octopus or sepia), with a dash of soy sauce, some pickled ginger and top it off with some wasabi, this goes also for the maki. To be honest my favourite sushi is the salmon roll, with the added cucumber and cheese, it offers a richer taste.
I recommend having the whisky with some ice, since the Nikka has a strong concentration of alcohol. The ice will help dilute it, bring down the alcohol and open up the flavours. Which brings us to umami, the lesser-known fifth taste; the other four being: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Umami can be mistaken for texture, it’s that meaty rich taste that you can feel in your mouth, this is added by the raw seafood found in sushi, this helps bring out the sweetness and warm bitter notes found in the whisky.
Umami definition (source Wikipedia)
A loanword from the Japanese (うま味), umami can be translated as “pleasant savory taste”. This neologism was coined in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda from a nominalization of umai (うまい) “delicious”. The compound 旨味 (with mi (味) “taste”) is used for a more general sense of a food as delicious.
Before starting to eat the sushi, it’s best to take a sip from the whisky, to familiarise your palate with it. Then, start to eat the sushi while taking small sips in between the bites. You will start to feel how the original taste, that you felt when you first tasted the whisky, starts to change. Just savour it !
Here’s a shot of my sushi dinner !
As you can see I paired the Nikka Pure Malt Black with some salmon nigiri, salmon maki and some salmon roll with cucumber and cheese (yes, I love salmon!); this is actually a sushi mix which is salmon based.
This has worked well for me, I also left a few sips for after finishing eating, it really does bring out new flavours and gives a very interesting twist to an already very tasty sushi dinner.
Shout out to SushiCluj.ro for the love they showed me on instagram !
Note: This is not a paid article !
Now it’s your turn!
Have you tried a sushi dinner paired with whisky ? What was your whisky of choice and with what sushi did you pair it with ?
Let me know below in the comments section.
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Andrei Muresan
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