【Reading】みずあらい

【English Name】Water washing

Mizu-arai (water washing) is a preparation technique of quickly washing seafood in cold water or salt water to remove surface sliminess, bloodline, and dirt. It is considered one of the basic and important steps in sushi preparation.

It is performed mainly on neta such as white-flesh fish and squid (ika), with the aim of reducing the off-odor the ingredient carries while preserving the flesh's translucency and beautiful appearance. When washing, it is essential to finish quickly; if exposed to water for a long time, umami components flow out and the flesh becomes watery.

When using salt water, the guideline is a concentration roughly equal to seawater (around 3%); because the difference in osmotic pressure is smaller than with fresh water, it is said to be less likely to impair the flesh's texture. Also, the water temperature and time need to be adjusted according to the fish species and part, making it a step that calls for the chef's experience.

As a similar preparation, there is shimofuri, in which boiling water is poured over and then the item is immediately chilled in ice water, but mizu-arai is distinguished by the fact that it involves no heating. Both are techniques for drawing out the freshness and flavor of the ingredient and are used routinely in sushi-shop preparation.