Guardian Magazine

‘Underfilled and underwhelming’: the best (and worst) supermarket sushi, tasted and rated

Supermarket sushi doesn’t have the best reputation, so which selection is decidedly fishy and which one should you roll with? • The best smoked salmon, tasted and rated Most supermarket sushi is so bad that it makes the fact that master sushi chefs in Japan traditionally train for 10 years or more seem entirely reasonable. That said, the products in this test aren’t all bad, though the bar is pretty low. My greatest concern, beyond the freshness of the seafood, was sustainability. Fish stocks are depleted and open-water aquaculture (especially salmon farming, the source of the UK’s favourite sushi topping) can have serious environmental implications and poor welfare standards. Even in-house sustainability claims are minimal, and just two products have any third-party certification. I awarded points for quality, freshness and certifications, and for including all three traditional condiments: soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger (most include only soy). Continue reading...