Avocado sashimi—delicate creamy slices of ripe avocado served with soy sauce and wasabi and sprinkled with a bit of shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice). I know, I know, sashimi is supposed to be raw fish/meat, but hear me out! In his book, Sustainable Sushi, Casson Trenor writes, “If we are to resuscitate our ailing oceans, we must ease the pressure on fish populations.” Casson goes on to talk about some vegetarian and vegan alternatives to fish that you can use when making sushi at home. My personal favorite alternative is avocado. The California roll was born from a chef’s realization that avocado was a perfect substitute for toro (fatty tuna) because of its creamy texture.
Unfortunately, the best toro comes from bluefin tuna which is currently being caught faster than they can reproduce, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch says that all bluefin tuna should be avoided. So I say that we honor these gorgeous creatures by slicing into a ripe California avocado instead.
I enjoy my avocado sashimi with a bit of wasabi paste, soy sauce, and shichimi togarashi.
using so few ingredients, it makes a difference to use really good soy sauce. My current favorite is Bluegrass Soy Sauce from Bourbon Barrel Foods.
Shichimi togarashi (also called nanami togarashi) is one of my all-time favorite condiments/spice mixes. It’s a spice blend that consists of 7 ingredients. A blend may contain ground red chili pepper, ground sichuan pepper, roasted orange peel, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, hemp seeds, ground ginger, nori or aonori, poppy seeds, yuzu peel, rape seed, or shiso, depending on the maker. It’s wonderful sprinkled on everything from chicken or fish, to soup or steamed vegetables.
If you want a delicious treat, grab an avocado and enjoy it as guilt-free sustainable sashimi. The bluefin will thank you.
Print This Recipe
Avocado Sashimi
Makes 2 servings
1 ripe avocado
1/2 fresh lemon
shichimi togarashi
wasabi paste
soy sauce
Peel the avocado and cut into slices. Squeeze lemon juice over the slices. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi and serve with wasabi and soy sauce.
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Thanks for providing a sashimi us pregos can enjoy!
Your Bluefin Avocado is stupendous! Suitable for framing! Can’t wait to try that spice mix too.
Looks tasty! You can never go wrong with avocado.
Love this as I’m not a fish lover. When (not often) I make sushi I’ll do veggie options too although I’m not keen on nori sheets so I do a lot of rolling in tograshi too.
Avocados are abundant in Spain now, may have to have this for lunch next week. Thanks.
This is very interesting! Never had avocado sashimi before. Oughta give this a try soon :)
“Spice it Up”
Thank you for sharing “avocado sashimi”. I’ve been eating avocado don since quality tune could be expensive. I’m sure to make this tonight :)
Love this idea, you can never go wrong with avocado :) they are so delicious!!
What a genius idea! Lovely presentation, as always.
Brilliant simplicity!
Love it. We make something similar for lunch, very often, in fact we just enjoyed it. Never thought of calling it Sashimi – great idea!
How wonderful that you’re helping to raise awareness about sustainability as well as offering a really simply, tasty smackerel! I’ve never had avocado with soy. Guess it’s time to try it:)
Any reason to eat more avocado is a good reason ; )
I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you soon. GREG
I’m with Paula – bring on the avocados!!!
Very clever! Its the wasabi/soy combo that sparks the cravings anyway and I LOVE avocados!
@Bianca @ South Bay Rants n raves — You’re welcome!!
@Mimi Avocado — Aaaw, thank you! You are so sweet! Yes, the seven spice is SOOOO good!
@Sarah | The Cyclist’s Wife — SO TRUE.
@Debs @ The Spanish Wok — Veggie options are more sustainable anyways, AND such a delicious way to get extra veggies into your diet, right? :)
@Karriann — Thanks! Let me know if you try it!
@hiroko — Avocado don is another one of my favorite dishes!
@sippitysup — I hope so! Are you going to Camp Blogaway this year?
How did you manage to peel the skin so smoothly? Thanks for the recipe and idea!
I want some of this right now!
This was fantastic – thanks for the recipe! I loved it so much, I covered it on my own blog. :)
http://jackiandjohnatethis.blogspot.com/2012/05/avocado-sashimi.html
I love this post so much because you don’t just tell us not to eat a certain fish, but provide a delicious alternative. I think more people respond to sustainable living when given ideas on what to do instead of just getting lectured on what not to do. Plus avocados are just so delicious!
How stunningly simple, elegant and fantastically healthy – a complete celebration of Japanese cuisine. Love it. We do something similar to sweet potato in Pakistan, not sashimim style but boiled, served simply with a mixture of salt and red chili. simple gorgeous and yum – just like this! thanks for sharing!
Okay, mouth-watering, right now. I just found your blog, in love.
It’s a sliced avocado not a recipe.
Sounds like a perfect lunch for tomorrow; amn thinking I’ll try substituting a splash of yuzu for the lemon juice on a couple of slices.
This is a staple for us and totally love it!
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