sashimi

[ sah-shee-mee; Japanese sah-shee-mee ]

noun

, Japanese Cooking.

1. raw fish cut into very thin slices.

sashimi

/ ˈsæʃɪmɪ /

noun

1. a Japanese dish of thin fillets of raw fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of sashimi¹

1875–80; < Japanese sashi stabbing + mi ( y ) body (< *mui )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sashimi¹

C19: from Japanese sashi pierce + mi flesh

Example Sentences

By 1966, The New York Times reported that New Yorkers were dining on "raw fish dishes, sushi and sashimi, with a gusto once reserved for corn flakes."

From Salon

Doubt they served sashimi at the Radio Center Restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times

Juno now offers omakase, a set tasting menu of 20 bites, including appetizers, nigiri, sashimi, warm plates and dessert.

From Salon

When she had recovered enough to leave the ICU, her family struggled to get her to eat, even when they made her her favorite dumpling soup or brought her fresh sashimi.

From Seattle Times

They are also highly valuable, selling for thousands of pounds for their meat, a delicacy in sushi and sashimi.

From Science Daily

Sashimi Vs. Sushi

What’s the difference between sashimi and sushi?

Sashimi and sushi are both dishes you’ll find on the menu of a Japanese restaurant, and you might even order both at once, but they’re not the same thing.

Sashimi is raw fish cut into thin slices. Sushi consists of bite-sized pieces of cold, boiled rice, stuffed or topped with various ingredients.

The variety of sushi perhaps best-known outside of Japan is called maki (or maki-zushi). It’s made by forming a roll of rice around various fillings, especially vegetables, raw seafood, or a combination, and then wrapping the roll in seaweed and slicing it into small, bite-sized rounds. Another variety, nigiri (or nigiri-zushi), consists of bite-sized pieces of rice topped with raw seafood or something else.

In Japanese, the word sushi means “sour rice” (the rice is traditionally moistened with rice vinegar). The word sashimi comes from the Japanese sashi, meaning “pierce” or “stabbing,” and mi, “flesh” or “body.”

Many people associate sushi with a raw fish or seafood element, and it often includes these, but not always. It can be filled or topped with many other things—its essential ingredient is rice.

Sashimi, on the other hand, is simply thinly sliced raw fish (often accompanied with soy sauce or wasabi). (You may see some non-fish dishes prepared sashimi-style, which typically means they’re sliced thin like sashimi is.)

Here’s an example of sashimi and sushi used correctly in a sentence.

Example: I love ordering sushi with unusual combinations of ingredients, but sometimes I prefer the simplicity of sashimi.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between sashimi and sushi.

Quiz yourself on sashimi vs. sushi!

Should sashimi or sushi be used in the following sentence?

The paper-thin slices of _____ were beautifully arranged on the platter.