In Denver, Sushi Den is one of the best places for sushi. In Japan, cooking rice is taken seriously (like baking a perfect banquette in France) the first job of any aspiring sushi chef. It usually takes 2-3 years to get promoted to a sous chef position of then cutting vegetables. After several years of this, one might then apprentice as sushi chef, which is mastered after 5 years or more. So keep practicing, if you want to perfect sushi at home!
For the fish:
I you are short on fresh trout or something off of your own line and you are shopping in Denver, go to the Sakura Square Japanese grocery store, and buy:
Yellow Tailed Tuna
Salmon belly
Eel
Red Snapper
And something you haven’t tried before. You should plan on 1/4 lb. of each fish, as you can expect 1 lb of sushi fish per person.
Make the sushi rice, cut the fish accordingly (a whole book in itself, see Sushi Made Easy) and form sushi pieces
If making California Rolls or what the Koreans call gimbap, use a seaweed paper, a bamboo rolling tool sheet, and seedless cucumber, pickled yellow radish, sliced scallions or Julianne carrots, wasabi paste, soy sauce, etc., packed tightly and rolled in the seaweed and rice to form the proper wrap.
For the Rice:
Go to an Asian specialty grocery store (the Sakura Square market in Denver on Mondays and Wednesdays, when the fish is flown in) and get some Kokuho Rose Koda Farms Rice. Yes, it’s the most expensive, by a few bucks, but it’s the best rice by far and worth the little extra expense. Cook according to directions: Place 1 part rice to 1 ¼ part water (I use a big coffee cup which is enough for 2 persons) in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
For Sushi Rice:
While your rice is cooking prepare the vinegar dressing. For 5 c. of dry rice, combine in a bowl stirring until clear:
7-8 T. rice vinegar
1 T. salt
2-3 T. sugar
Wet a large mixing tub with water. Allow the rice to cool for about 10 minutes with a rice paddle, through the mound of rice to mix the dressing and rice evening. As you mix, fan the rice to cool it. An extra hand will make this operation easier. Fanning the rice will give it a pearly luster. Brush off any rice that sticks to the side of the tube with a cloth dampened with vinegared water. Once the rice has cooled to a body temperature it is ready to use.