Sushi sauces
Sushi sauces are a modern addition and are common on most rolls.
Traditionally, though, sauces weren’t used much (except for soy sauce of course). However, sushi chefs have been known to use a special glaze on nigiri, which I will cover below.
Today, it is common practice for a sushi chef to top a roll with one or two complementary sauces.
Most of these sauces are custom-made, in-house, and are secret recipes. There are some supermarkets that sell “sushi-grade sauces,” but they just don’t hold a torch to the homemade stuff.
Many of the sauces below are very versatile and can be used on a number of dishes – not just sushi. Please feel free to experiment with the recipes and try them out on different dishes!
Below is a list of the various sauces commonly found in sushi bars. Each title and image is a link to the individual recipes for each sauce.
Spicy Mayo
Eel Sauce
Garlic Mayo
Miso Mayo
Sesame Oil
Ponzu
Nikiri (sweet soy)
Yum Yum Sauce
Ginger Dressing
Many sushi bars in the United States make their own versions of each sauce. I have worked at a number of different sushi bars and have combined recipes to find one that works best.