The world of sushi has changed a lot and quickly.
In America, sushi is ubiquitous from supermarket shelves to $400-a-person fancy sushi bars. It is hard to believe that, only 50 years ago, people used to loathe the idea of eating raw fish.
Also gone is the belief that great sushi can be made only by Japanese chefs trained in Japan, as we now see plenty of cases to disprove the idea.
Robby Cook, chef at Coral Omakase at Point Seven in Manhattan, is a perfect example.
He grew up in Iowa watching shows on Food Network and was particularly inspired by chef Masaharu Morimoto on “Iron Chef America”.
He decided to pursue a career as a sushi chef and went to the California Sushi Academy. His talent was quickly recognized and after graduation, he worked at notable Japanese restaurants, including BondST in Manhattan.
One day, right before chef Morimoto opened his flagship restaurant in Chelsea in 2006, the Iron Chef himself came to BondST and saw Cook’s job. Soon Cook’s dream to work for the Iron Chef came true and eventually after years of training, cook served as the executive chef at Morimoto.
Chef Morimoto endorsed Cook as a world-class sushi chef, saying, “He can serve sushi in Ginza.” For a sushi chef, this is the highest honor to receive: Ginza in Tokyo is the paramount stage for sushi chefs where only the best sushi bars can operate.
What was the key to such success?
“Like any other job, I kept my head down and worked as hard as possible. I did not get to the sushi bar right away when I joined Morimoto. I came in early, stayed late and tried to absorb everything in the kitchen,” says Cook.
Japanese Tradition Evolves With American Sensibility
Now at Coral, Cook serves sushi with his own philosophy, which he has shaped over his 20 years of sushi-making career.
“I fully respect and follow Japanese traditions but at the same time, I am not Japanese and cannot be Japanese. Instead, I have more freedom for creativity,” says Cook.
“My basic rule is to let the fish speak for itself without being overcrowded by sauces and added flavors. Then I play with some ingredients that may not be traditional but make sense of being a part of the dish.”
At his ten-seat-only sushi bar, he serves an Omakase menu only. Omakase means “leave it to the chef” and he carefully composes 15-17 courses daily, based on what he can get best from the market.
Cook sources the majority of fish from the Toyosu Market, the world’s biggest fish market in the world. “It is hard to get the best fish from Toyosu, but thanks to the connections I made while I was at Morimoto, I can work directly with one of the top buyers in the market,” he says.
The first several courses are appetizers like wild sakura masu (cherry blossom salmon) he cold smoked with cherry wood. He serves it with plum and ginger dashi-soy jelly topped with black truffle.
Smoked salmon is not a traditional appetizer at a sushi restaurant but the subtle smokiness deepens the flavor of the dashi and the also non-traditional jelly’s texture makes the fish’s umami linger.
The following nigiri sushi courses include kinmedai, or golden eye snapper, which is flavored with sweet sea salt from Sado Island in the Japan Sea and key lime.
“I wanted to use sudachi citrus from Japan but it is hard to get it in America. As a substitute, I chose a specific variety of key lime from a farmer I work with. It gives a delicate aroma to the fish and a little discovery like this gives me a joy.”
Sushi is a highly regional food by nature. The Nigiri-style sushi that we see in the U.S. originated in Tokyo Bay, and you can find different varieties of sushi throughout Japan. Cook may be creating a local version of sushi in the region called America, along with other non-Japanese sushi chefs in the country.
Any tips for future sushi chefs in America?
Cook says, “The sushi school was very informative and I learned all the basics I needed to know. But study by yourself to get knowledge of fish and importantly to understand the underlying Japanese culture. It should be much easier than when I started my career 20 years ago. There are way more resources in English now and you don’t have to be fluent in Japanese as sushi has become a global cuisine.”