Sushi, or 寿司 in written Japanese, refers to the vinegared rice not the fish. In fact, it is a common misconception that sushi means raw fish. When making sushi there are a variety of ingredients that complement the rice, from raw fish to cooked fish, shellfish to vegetables.
In this visual glossary I am going to show the different types of toppings used in sushi, from the most traditional Edomae style fish to more regional ones like those found down south in Okinawa. Before I begin I also want to mention that I will include some fish not commonly seen in Japan as well. One of my hobbies when I travel is to make sushi from fish found all over the world so I will showcase some more unique ingredients as well!
In Japanese the toppings of sushi are called neta, which is the reverse of tane. In the Edo period, making slang by reversing the syllables in words was popular, and turning tane into neta for sushi toppings just stuck.
Akami (Red Fish)
Shiromi (White Fish)
Hikarimono (Silver-skinned Fish)
Gyoran (Roe)
Kani (Crab)
Ebi (Shrimp)
Kai (Shellfish)
Other
