Sushi on the trail

“Sushi lover here. I know several of you love it also. I occasionally make California Rolls at home and don't know why you couldn't on the trail:

Does this sound like it could work? It seems like a good appetizer before a trout dinner on a layover day.

Bring a can or two of crabmeat, sheets of roasted seaweed, an avocado or two, a tube of wasabi, packets of soy sauce, and fixins for sushi rice. Cook some rice and add seasoned rice vinegar (or rice vinegar, sugar and salt). I have a wooden thing that you use to make the roll with.

Drain the crabmeat and mix in the mayonnaise to make a spread. On a cutting board or plastic sheet, lay out a sheet of seaweed and put in some crab mixture and avocado slices. Roll up, slice into sections, and serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

Sushi made fresh is pretty tasty.

Critters could be easily attracted to the smell of seaweed, so be sure to clean up good.

Has anyone tried this?

(I don't propose eating raw fish on the trail)”

“You know what you could also do?
After you catch that trout, do a filet.
Bring along a little nalgene bottle of teriaki sauce, or one the other sweet sauces used when they broil eel?
Wrap the filet in a little foil with some of the sauce, broil over a little fire, and proceed with the same instructions you've given above.
You get trout roll!
Leave out the avocado, and maybe take along a few spicy sprouts to wrap in with the seaweed,wasabi and rice.
I'm getting hungry already.
You know, to save cooking time on the rice, you can cook it at home, dehydrate it, and re-hydrate it on the trail to have with this dinner!”

“yuck!”

“I've tried sushi, and HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“WASABIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!”

“waaaaSSAAAABIIIII!!!!!!!”

“YUUUUUCCCCKKKKIIIIIII!!!!!!!”

“Mel,

Awesome suggestion! I may do that! I could experiment at home first.

(Personally, I don't see how anyone can dislike Sushi, but I have come to accept it.)”

“Phil
Great minds think alike! I've been wanting to do this since Llama Rama 99. I even bought the wasabi powder and some rolled seaweed. If you bring the crabmeat, I'll bring the wasabi, seaweed, and rice. We can buy the avacado and Sapporro beer in Bishop. All we need now is one of those bamboo mat things to roll it up.

Mel are you game? Come on Melsie. Let's go Japanese. This will be fun. We'll be "smoothing it." Down South we call it "being in high cotton."”

“Hey, for sure!
I can bring something along to use for a sprouting jar.
You know what we should do, too?
Hit a couple of these websites* to see what Japanese ingredients we could order that would keep long enough in the pack for a neat sushi night.

Maybe some kind of roe?
Flying fish?
That spicy red hot pepper sauce (along with the wasabi, of course).

*
www.globalgourmet.com
www.chefshop.com

Let's see what we can find and compare notes!
A little saki too, mayhap?
Plum wine for after dinner?”

“yummmmmm... great idea phil.....and mel and sol..!
My son and i just got back from mothers day dinner....
sushi bar.....it is a tradition!
i could bring my bamboo mat for rolling...
smoked salmon keeps very well.
i make a veggie version.....cream cheese,cucumber,scallions and avocado
i take rolls on day trips and they keep very nicely.”

“Ah, SO!

Smoked salmon!
And scallions, too.
I have to go out for sushi this week or I'm gonna DIE!”

“Just ring the dinner bell. I am hungry too.”

“Sol - I have one of those bamboo mats. Let's go for it!

OM - great ideas.

Mel - Lets keep investigating. I have the Sushi urge also. Fortunately or unfortunately ($$), I live within two miles of 5 sushi bars!”

“Okay...I'll bring my stuff. OM... so you have a sushi tradition too? We have one. Everytime my son gets a new belt in karate we go to the sushi bar where my youngest daughter works. He only gets a new belt every three months or so, therefore the wait for California roll can be excruciating long. Sometimes my daughter has to bring me home a sushi "fix" between karate belts.

One of my favorite things is to get some edamami to snack on with my Sapporo while waiting for the rest of the order. I call them Japanese loiled "peanuts". We should have some for our high sierra feast.”

“boiled I mean”

“YOUR DAUGHTER WORKS IN A SUSHI BAR?!
That's cheating!

Gad, there only one sushi bar here, it's got only nine seats, and the next closest one is nearly three hours away, by car.
In Tahoe.
Or Carson City.
You can't fly there from here.
ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!”

“I spent 25 days in Japan in 1993 with 16 people from 10 different countries. I only got to sit at a sushi bar two times because most of my traveling companions didn't like Sushi.

Guess what we ate more than anything else?


CHINESE FOOD...EVERYONE liked it.

Food in Japan was pretty good. They try for quality in everything they do. Never had a bad cup of coffee either...but it cost $3-$4 per cup (no refills).”

“Sol - Hey, My suggestion was to have sushi on our layover day (assumption: Crabtree). If you are out running around Miter Basin, how can you have sushi with us?”

“oh yeh sol...do you all like seaweed salad too?...that keeps well (the salted seaweed) then you can desalt and add the dressing at camp.....and of course, miso soup is one of my trail staples.....and chopsticks are lightweight~!”

“I was going to try this on my last trip. The one I didn't get to make, but that's another story. I have the nori, the rice, tuna in the pouch, mayonaise in packets, soy sauce in packets, hoped to find some green onions on the trail. If we all work together we could have "Llama Rama Sushi".”

“I guess tuna and mayonnaise would work as a filling.

...And we can create the "Llama Rama Roll"”

“this months issue of Veggie Life has some knockout recipes for sushi rolls.....
hey, any other wild stuff growing up there for ingredients (shrooms, dandelion greens”

“I wouldn't trust the shrooms, but there are wild onions and things.
Fresh fish should be pretty easy.
You know, the trout up there in Crabtree Lake have meat that's as close to salmon as you can get.
I bet it would make GREAT sushi. A little like Toro.
Hmmmm?
What do you think about trout roe?
Smaller that salmon, golden color?
Think we could go for it?
Who wants to be the first one?
I used to LOVE caviar!!”

“the last time I saw sushi on the trail was after the big fish kill.”

“if you knew sushi , like i know sushi,
Oh!--Oh!---Oh!!!

that was on a t-shirt i got at a northern california veterinary parasitologists meeting once....heh....
the back had all the worms you can get from fish.....
i still LOVE sushi! and i have never gotten wormy yet....”

“Are you sure about that OM? You've been acting pretty strange in here lately.”

“Oh, sol....
It's only cause you're here.

Strange to the strange.
Why else would I be here?”

“oh sol.........it is no act......i am actually very strange by nature......you'll see....but i am harmless....”

“Where is snackboy when you need him?”

“Fricasseeing a carp.”

“well.. I have good news for you all...
having spent six years having a japanese family as almost inlaws.. I have learned the ins and outs of Japanese food and my kitchen is fully stocked with the best ingrediants. And if any one is into sashimi it is also someting that can be prepared.. for those of you that like that sort of thing..or know the difference...and have always wanted to try.. only I would never serve it unless the fish was freshly caught and immediately prepared...
and as for shrooms... Mel that is another of my little hobbies and I do know what is edible.. I studied it for many years.. however at that time of year I am not so sure what all would be up there that would be edible...
but we can defenatly bring good quality dried shiake (i had to take the t out cus of the lauguage thing)
those are very light and easy to soak for trail use..and yes miso is great on the trail...
edumame are soybeans.. a special type specifaclly grown for fresh eating the way it was mentioned before.. another good one is dried wasabi peas.. great trail snack! and then there are the numerous sesame crackers that are available..I will see about bringing an array of those...
ya om...the almost father in law that I learned alot of my japanese cooking from was a professor of microbiology of the vetrenarian collage...and he still ate sushi.. the trick is to know what is good sushi and sashimi...and where it came from...
the colder the water the better... for safety that is...
well now I am very hungry! I had better go find something to eat...
we might be having japanese food for dinner...now that I am so hungry for it...hmmmm....
sounds like we will have some meals to remember on this trip....”

“For Sashimi off the trail, what you need is a fish seller you can really trust. I trust mine to tell me what they have that is suitable for sashimi.

Question TA: questions of weight aside do you prefer powdered wasabi or wasabi from the tube?”

“powdered wasabi for me....
ta....love those wasabe peas and sesame sticks...i took some to share at Wilson Creek trip.....but didnt have too many takers.......”

“tube.. defenately

om .. watch out.. I can majke a sack of those go fast!”

“What about the pickled ginger???”

“This is gonna be great!”

“The wasabi in the tube loses it's heat if it's left around too long.
The stuff in the can STAYS hot!

Ah, SO!

You little Trailartist, You..

We have us a little captive Sushi Chef.

Yes, I doubt there will be any shrooms (of ANY variety) up where we will be. And true, it will be the wrong time of the season, up high (High? I?).

The trout up at Crabtree have a very high fat content. At least the red meated ones do.
They are wonderfully oily when cooked (fried).
I've "done" salmon sashimi, but if I remember correctly, it was a little too "fishy" for my taste.
I prefer my fish with a milder finish.

But, not having ever done raw trout (not having ever been tempted due to the fact that most trout other than VERY red-meated goldens are bland in the extreme, even when cooked with lots of different stuff), I am open to some experimentation.

Trout with red meat generally has had a diet richer in protien (so I hear tell).
And I gather it will have a taste (good) all of it's own.

I love the edamamies!
I buy them by the frozen bagful and eat them instead of chips.

Better for you!

Good to mention the pickled ginger!
What would a sushi feed be without that?!

Now..

Let's take a vote on soy sauce brands (none of that low-sodium crap), and sticky rice....”

“Phil...from my viewpoint ...it appears as if it is gonna be beyond great.......freakin bordering on monumental.....

first it was the alpenglow, then ya throw in willie and waylon and outlaw cowboys and hot springs and bears and magnificent lakes, sharing the path with real live california hikers and just when ya think it cant get any finer....ya throw in a sushi fest high in the sierras.......
I do not know how i am going to supress the continuous om........
for the record guys.....no resussitation if i appear to be crossin over!!heh....”

“Now if we're going to have a sushi feast it has to be on the first night right? I mean I will be going into the Miter Basin the next day et. al. Y'all can't do Llama Rama Roll without me.”

“The best soy sauce in my not so humble opinion is actually Tamari. There are a few good brands..it is richer tasting and it has more than just a salty flavor. My sushi rice is an organic rice that I bought in bulk... it has worked quite nicely. Have never bought any other kind.”

“oh.. and fair warning.. I tend to over stuff my sushi rolls.. they are more messy than pretty.. I do the same thing with anything I put in a tortilla...messy but GOOD!
It is great that there are so many people that actually have made them.. will prove to be a great feast. and yes the ginger..how could we forget the ginger! Good job Medic Girl!
Too bad I couldn't bring a good cucumber salad.. I love japanese cucumber salads! but I don't think dehydrating them is a great idea...
yuck actually!”

“Sol - You're bailing out on us after one day, so you want us to do sushi the first night?? Sheesh!

Why not stay with us so we can have fun together and do sushi later on, like at Crabtree. We will appreciate it more after a couple of days. I hope to eat a little fresh food the first day or so while I still have the llamas to carry it. After day 4 it is "light is right".”

“oh gosh sol.....i never do sushi on the first night.”

“om - lol”

“Sol, My Man...

You think we're going to plan the sushi fest around YOUR trail bail?!

Oh, COME now!

And what is sushi if it's not messy?

It's a Japanese hamburger:
If it's not dripping down your arm....

WHAT GOOD IS IT?!”

“I can't seem to find any fault in the logic of having the younger, faster walking women on this trip having a complete sushi feast ready and on the "table" when us older, slower walking men get to the first night's campsite. Therefore, of course we should have sushi on the first night.

I'll also need someone (thinking Mel or OM) to assist in packing my pack the next morning. I want to get an early start up into the Miter Basin.”

“" oh, shucks sol.....i (OM) won't be able to help you pack....i will be too busy preparing your breakfast and washing your socks down by the creek......but i am sure mel will be happy to help....."

Excerpt from " Solitary Hiker's Parallel Universe...Effects of hallucinogenics on the LLama Rama 2001 Odyssey"”

“Great idea OM!!! Breakfast and clean socks wow..... now I hit the trail even earlier that morning. Now would you mind doing my dirty briefsin that load of wash? That way I won't have to do any laundry for the first couple of days. .....Man this is shaping up to be my best sierra trip ever.”

“Sol - remind me to pitch my tent some distance from yours. I don't want to be hit by shrapnel when a mortar round hits it.”