Sushi Awards 2009: Sushi of the Year

Sponsored by

Supported by:
Embassy of Japan, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) and All Japan Sushi Association

Special thanks to:
ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS, FENG SUSHI, GEKKEIKAN SAKE, JAPAN CATERING, MOSHI MOSHI, SASAKI GREEN TEA, SHINMEI CO.,LTD. and T&S ENTERPRISES (ATARI-YA FOODS)

Organized by:
EAT-JAPAN, MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

The sushi creations of each of the Seven Sushi Samurai were tasted and voted for by a panel of guest judges and the audience. The most popular sushi was then awarded the title of “Sushi of the Year".

Sushi of the Year 2009

Crispy Salmon

Tomoyuki is a master of traditional Edomaezushi techniques, learned from a true sushi legend. He will be using the tsukekomi technique of marination with soy sauce and mirin to intensify the umami in the salmon whilst also removing excess water.

The salmon will then be dressed with avocado and lotus root chips, and strips of crunchy tempura batter, creating distinct texture.

A comment from the winner:
“I've always been taught that the secret to good sushi is preparing the fish just enough to enhance the flavours without masking or overcomplicating them. I’m surprised and of course delighted to see that what I have learned all my life has been recognised and honoured in this way. The fact that most of the people voting were not Japanese, but an international sushi audience, makes this even more special for me”

Created by Tomoyuki Abe
Sushizen, Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Awards 2009

What the judges thought

Our 2009 Judging Panel were impressed by all the sushi, but were unanimous in praise for the 2009 Sushi of the Year, Crispy Salmon.

“Elegant and simple – a real corker. A great contrast of flavours and textures. All the elements of a great dish: wonderfully cured salmon, big umami, very well judged use of soy sauce and wasabi. Overall, beautifully made with a little frizzle of tempura batter crumbs.”

Henry Harris, Chef Patron, Racine

“All of the chefs had to use Japanese rice in their sushi, and I think one of the reasons that Crispy Salmon triumphed was that its simple, elegant flavour matched so well with the flavour of the delicately seasoned sushi rice. It was an extremely well-balanced entry that brought all of the elements together into a unified whole”.

Masayoshi Kazato, Executive Director, All Japan Sushi Association and Sushi Master

“What really stood out for me Crispy Salmon by Tomoyuki Abe; it was a perfect balance of flavours. What I mean by that is that you had the avocado, the lotus root and the perfectly cured piece of salmon, and the whole experience of that, in the mouth, in terms of flavour and texture, was absolutely perfect.”

Jun Tanaka, Executive Chef, Pearl

“Chef Abe’s Crispy Salmon was excellent, lots of texture, and the fried lotus root was really oustanding”.

Christopher Basten, Incoming National Vice Chairman, Craft Guild of Chefs

“The presentation was wonderful and the balance of flavours almost perfect”.

Mat Follas, Chef Patron, The Wild Garlic

Sushi of the Year 2008
Seven "Rice" Samurai -ecology-

From the seedling to the grain, rice is an amazing ecological resource, and this is Mitsunori’s message to the world. He performed seven tricks on rice – ferment, deep-fry, grill, roast, boil, freeze and extract – to create this sushi.

Created by Mitsunori Kusakabe
Sushi Ran, USA
Sushi Awards 2008

Sushi of the Year 2007
Golden Shooting Star

2007’s triumphant dish was an innovatively vegetarian recreation of shark’s fin, a traditional but controversial delicacy. Mirin-infused seaweed was combined with apple pieces soaked in maple syrup, complemented with avocado for body and texture and topped with frosted cornflakes for sweetness and crunch.

Created by Masashi Ogata
Asahizushi, Miyagi, Japan
Sushi Awards 2007

Sushi of the Year 2006
Electric Eel

The 2006 winning creation was a true fusion of modern and traditional, with grilled eel basted in a thick, sweet sauce combined with roast pineapple, charcoal oil and avocado sauce. The magic ingredient – sechuan buttons – added an electrifying flavour burst.

Created by Jeff Ramsey
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Awards 2006

Judging Method

Special points are awarded by the judging panel (made up of leading British celebrity chefs and food experts) combined with votes from the audience. Each person has one vote and after tasting each sushi entry should vote for their favourite. The sushi with the most combined votes by guests and judging panel will be crowned ‘Sushi of the Year’.

sushi awards 2009

Challengers for the prestigious title of Sushi of the Year certainly have their work cut out for them. The Samurai only have a single mouthful to convince guests that theirs is the standout sushi – so a diversity of elements such as flavour, taste, aroma, colour, presentation, and culinary concept need to be communicated in a compact yet compelling package. The natural limitations of the cuisine make it all the more amazing that participating chefs are able to evoke so much through so little. The awards have also served to break down some of the more common misconceptions about sushi – for the past two years, vegetarian sushi have triumphed, demonstrating just how ground-breaking these awards really are. Each year, the task of the celebrity judging panel and gathered sushi enthusiasts gets harder, as the overall standard of sushi continues to rise. Superlative knife skills, outstanding creativity, pioneering gastronomic technique – a Samurai must posses all of these skills, and more, if he or she is to triumph as the 2009 champion.

What the judges thought

Judging Method

Sake and Indian Food Tasting Menu!

Win Five Copies of Simply Japanese, signed by Yoko Arimoto