Murasaki Uni from Okushiri Island — Kombu-Fed, Zero Alum
This week's Murasaki Uni comes from Okushiri Island, off the southwest coast of Hokkaido — waters known locally as "Okushiri Blue" for their clarity. The uni here feed on unusually rich kombu growing in that water, which shows up directly in the flavor: sweeter and richer than Murasaki from other Hokkaido grounds. It is harvested by Ogawa Shoten, a Hokkaido uni specialist whose season on Okushiri just opened. This batch is packed directly in saltwater brine (塩水ウニ — Ensui Uni) rather than laid dry in a tray, so there is no need for the alum (ミョウバン) that dry-boxed uni relies on to hold its shape — zero alum added. Order at shop.sashimidc.com.
Team Building with Plover Pediatric Dentistry
We hosted a sashimi slicing class and temaki handroll sushi lunch this past week as a team-building event for Plover Pediatric Dentistry. A genuinely lovely team — precise, detail-oriented, and clearly used to working together. If you're in Potomac with kids and looking for a dentist, this is the clinic to have on your list. And if your kids are into One Piece, they'll feel right at home there too.
Schedule Notes for the Week Ahead
Keita will leave the shop around 6:00 pm this Friday for an outside event. If you need fish after that time, please check with Rice Market staff on the lower level.
Looking to next week: Monday, July 20 is a public holiday in Japan (Umi no Hi / Marine Day), so our weekly fish shipment is delayed by one day — it will arrive in DC on Thursday instead of Wednesday. We will be closed Wednesday that week. Plan orders accordingly.
Doyo no Ushi Reminder — July 26
A quick reminder: Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the Japanese custom of eating unagi during the hottest stretch of summer, falls on July 26 this year. Our Unagi Kabayaki from Daishin, Kagoshima remains our highest-volume product by units sold — order ahead of the date so we can plan around demand.
This Week's Lineup
Bluefin Tuna from Goto Islands, Nagasaki; Murasaki Uni from Okushiri Island (new this week); Sasshu Salmon from Kagoshima; Hokkaido Scallops; Unagi Kabayaki; Fresh Wasabi. Everything else as usual this week. Best days to order are Thursday and Friday — fish arrives Wednesday and popular cuts move quickly by Saturday afternoon.