What To Serve with Sashimi

Sashimi is a traditional Japanese dish that is beautiful in its simplicity. But it is so simple that it does not stand alone as a complete meal! If you are looking for sides to add to this dish, you have come to the right place. Here you will find 35 sides to serve with sashimi–or any other Japanese cuisine that you love.

Thin slices of sashimi over cold rice noodles on a plate.

Sashimi is very simply delicious. It’s simple because there is only one ingredient: high-quality, sushi-grade fish.

Sashimi is different from sushi because while it is made with raw fish, that’s all there is to sashimi. It is thinly sliced, bite-sized pieces of fish.

This simplicity makes for a delicious main dish, as each bite is filled with natural flavor. But for many people, the simplicity of sashimi is just too simple. Many people crave more to their meal than simply fish.

Luckily, the simplicity of the dish also means it can be dressed up or down and paired with many different side dishes that complement the meal perfectly.

If you are planning to serve sashimi at your next gathering, here are 35 sides you can add to the table.

Jump to:

FAQs

Chopsticks resting over sashimi served on a plate.

Is Sashimi Totally Raw?

The quick answer is yes, sashimi is totally raw. It is also very, very fresh. The only fish that is safe to serve as sashimi is the highest-quality fresh sushi-grade fish. Salmon and tuna are the most common, but you can find many different kinds of freshwater fish served as sashimi.

Sashimi may be paired with daikon radish, wasabi or ginger which may be pickled or fresh.

How Long is Sashimi Safe to Eat Raw?

Many people are hesitant to eat sashimi because it is made with raw ingredients. This simple fact makes people even more afraid to attempt to make it in their own homes.

Raw food does need to be stored properly to prevent any bacteria from developing, but in general sashimi is safe to keep in the refrigerator for a day or two. Be aware that it may develop a more fishy flavor the longer it sits, so it’s best to enjoy it right away.

Only sushi-grade fish is safe for sashimi. Do not use any seafood that is not clearly labeled as sushi grade.

Is Sashimi or Sushi Healthier?

The difference between sashimi and sushi is all in the rice. Sashimi is a very simple cut of fish, but sushi is cuts of fish on top of rice. Often sushi also contains other vegetables and sauces.

Both of these dishes can be part of a healthy diet. Fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and is low in calories. Both are usually paired with vegetables in some form.

Visit this article for more information on the Differences between Sushi and Sashimi.

Why is Sashimi Safe to Eat?

The fish in sashimi is very specifically sourced to be eaten fully raw. It is usually only made with saltwater fish, as these are less likely to carry harmful bacteria. It is also caught and processed quickly to ensure the sushi-grade fish you find at the store is as fresh as possible.

Is Sashimi Good for Beginners?

If you have never tried sushi before, sashimi may be a great place to start for the first time. Sashimi is made only with raw fish, and no other ingredients. Singling the fish out can help you determine which delicate flavors you do and don’t like–before they are placed in a roll and mixed with competing flavors.

If you are unsure if raw fish is your thing, start slow. Prepare your palate by trying some fish-free sushi rolls like a cucumber roll or California roll (usually made with real or imitation crab meat), to see how you like it.

Sashimi and raw fish in general have a unique texture that may be an acquired taste. If textures do not bother you, jump right in! The fresh flavor is excellent.

What is More Expensive, Sushi or Sashimi?

While sushi is full of inexpensive ingredients like rice and vegetables, sashimi is straight fish, which makes it more expensive at most restaurants. It is a Japanese delicacy. The good news is high-quality fish is full of protein which makes you feel full faster so you may find you eat much less sashimi than sushi.

What Is Sushi Rice?

Sushi Rice is what makes sushi. It is rice that has been flavored with a combination of rice vinegar and sugar. This combination makes the rice sticky and also a bit tangy. It makes the rice perfect for rolling into bite-sized pieces and also provides a delicious burst of flavor to the roll.

How Do You Serve Sashimi?

To serve sashimi, use a very sharp knife and slice the fish into thin slices and then small rectangles, about ¼ inch thick and an inch long. Place the thin strips on a bed of daikon radish or another garnish and serve with a small amount of wasabi and ginger.

Favorite Recipes

Tuna Sashimi from the Spruce Eats is a great place to start making sashimi at home.
Salmon Sashimi from Aubrey’s Kitchen is another great recipe for a beginner.

Expert Tips

Sashimi slices served on a platter with water crest garnished over it.

If you are going to make your sashimi at home, it is vital to purchase the appropriate fish. Not just any fish will do for sashimi, even if you get the butcher’s guarantee that it is fresh and delicious. You can often purchase sushi-grade fresh fish from a sushi restaurant. You may also find it at more high-end grocery stores, especially those with a sushi section.
If you are having trouble cutting your fish, place it in the freezer for about ten minutes, and then try again. This will help the meat solidify a bit which makes it much easier to slice.
Wipe your knife between cuts to make the knife slide easier.
Sashimi should be served right away for the best flavor. This is not a meal you should try to prepare ahead.

Garnishes: Microgreens, daikon radish, lemon, pickled ginger, tobiko, chives, sesame seeds, panko bread crumbs, green onions, sesame oil
Dipping Sauce: Soy sauce, sriracha, ponzu sauce, yum yum sauce, eel sauce, horseradish, boom boom sauce, teriyaki sauce
Sides: Fried rice, ramen, miso soup, steamed cabbage, seaweed salad, kani salad, gyoza dumplings, cucumber sesame salad, Japanese potato salad, shrimp tempura, warm mushroom salad, shiitake mushrooms, fresh vegetables
Desserts: Matcha ice cream, mango slices, dango
Drinks: Green tea

Recipes to Serve with Sashimi

Homemade Yum Yum Sauce

Yum Yum sauce sitting on a plate of hibachi food with chopsticks.

This condiment became popular as a Japanese Steakhouse staple, but now you can make it at home! You’re going to want to pour this sauce on everything.

a small bowl of ginger sauce with a spoon in the bowl and ginger and shrimp on the side.

Japanese ginger sauce is a delicious, savory sauce perfect for dipping and marinating all kinds of meat. It’s a popular sauce to find at your favorite hibachi restaurant and easy to recreate and enjoy at home!

This Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is amazing! It tastes just like takeout fried rice and is simpler than even picking up the phone to order Chinese. And it cooks in 4 minutes!

Sushi rice in a large bowl with a wooden spoon next to it.

Sushi rice is a unique blend of Japanese rice, vinegar and sugar that creates the perfect texture and flavor to compliment all your favorite sushi rolls. Even without a rice cooker, you can make perfect sushi rice with just a pot and a stovetop!

Korean cucumber salad in a bowl topped with red dressing and sesame seeds.

Korean Cucumber Salad is a sweet and spicy side dish that’s perfect for a BBQ alongside other Korean dishes. If you’re looking for something fresh to add to the table, give this easy salad a try!

A mug of japanese milk tea with flowers next to it.

Japanese Milk Tea or Japanese Royal Milk Tea is a creamy blend of sugar, milk, water and black tea. It’s a popular Japanese drink that pairs perfectly with a number of snacks and would be an excellent choice to serve at any tea time!

Beef Yakisoba in a bowl with yakisoba noodles, topped with picked ginger with chopsticks on the side.

Beef Yakisoba is made with delicious, chewy noodles, sauteed with plenty of veggies, tender beef and delicious sauce. It’s a quick Japanese meal perfect to throw together for a flavorful lunch or dinner!

Chicken katsu curry with rice and chopsticks on the side

Chicken Katsu Curry is a combination of two of the most popular Japanese dishes, creating a meal that is full of flavor and texture and easier to make than you may think!

Chicken katsudon over rice and garnished with green onions, sitting next to chopsticks.

Chicken Katsudon is a new way to enjoy chicken katsu with a thick eggy sauce that adds incredible flavor to the chicken and rice. It’s a flavorful dish that’s perfect for lunch or dinner!

Bowl of General Tso's Brussels sprouts served over quinoa in a bowl.

A big factor in liking and enjoying vegetables is preparing them properly. Take brussels sprouts for example. Prepared badly (like boiling) they taste horrible. But if you get them nice and crispy they are delicious. These crispy general tso’s brussels sprouts are a perfect recipe to convert over a veggie hater.

Serving dish of spiced cucumber salad with diced peanuts.

This Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe is a healthy and refreshing side dish. Add some canned tuna, cooked shredded chicken, or leftover baked salmon, and it becomes the perfect light summer meal. It’s ready in 15 minutes, infused with a spicy homemade dressing, and topped with crunchy peanuts.

A pile of egg rolls sitting next to sweet and sour sauce.

These Chinese Egg Rolls are a Chinese favorite that you can make at home! They are filled with Chinese bean sprouts, chicken, and bamboo and then fried.

Spicy garlic edamame in a bowl with chopsticks resting next to it.

Spicy Garlic Edamame is an easy and delicious snack or appetizer. Just four ingredients and 10 minutes is all it takes to make this spicy edamame recipes that you’ll find yourself craving again and again.

This recipe for Yamagobo is natural, quick as heck to make, doesn’t require any hard-to-find ingredients, and is so easy you can do it blindfolded.

A mango and avocado salad served in a wooden salad bowl.

This beautiful chopped mango avocado salad recipe is healthy, incredibly satisfying, and ready in 15 minutes. It’s a quick lunch option or sub in whatever mix of proteins you have on hand, and voila, dinner is served!

Miso mushrooms served with a side of rice and green veggies.

Miso mushrooms are one of the most delicious, comforting, super easy side dishes you can make! Mushrooms are sautéed to golden perfection and then are generously coated in a rich, garlicky miso butter. They can be enjoyed as part of a meal or are a great appetizer too. In just 25 minutes, you’ll have the best mushrooms packed with irresistible umami flavor!

Shichimi togarashi roasted spiced potatoes on a baking sheet.

Shichimi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子) is a blend of seven or more spices popular in Japanese cooking. It’s quickly become one of my favourite spice discoveries and I’m constantly experimenting with adding it to different recipes, which is how these Shichimi Togarashi Seasoned Potatoes were born!

Spicy Mango Kani Salad in serving bowls.

Mango kani salad is that addictive “crab” salad you get at Japanese restaurants. Both sweet and salty, you may have had it as a side salad or in spicy crab rolls.

Teriyaki tofu being placed on a bed of rice.

Teriyaki Tofu with a crisp coating but wobbly, oozy center- the trick is to use the right type of tofu- coated in a deliciously savory teriyaki sauce. (I have shown you how to make your own teriyaki sauce, but you can also use shop-bought.)

How to make the best Gyoza, or Japanese Pan-Fried Potstickers, from scratch like a pro! Juicy, tender, flavorful pork wrapped in pasta-like gyoza wrappers and pan-fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Easy to make, enjoy these delightful little pork dumplings as a light dinner or delicious appetizer with homemade gyoza dipping sauce.

Hiyayakko on a plate topped with sliced green onions and soy sauce pooled around the bottom of the tofu.

Hiyayakko (冷奴) is a Japanese silken tofu appetizer, served chilled and seasoned with a smattering of savoury toppings, like soy sauce, scallions, and ginger. This recipe has a centuries-long history in Japan, dating back to the Edo period in the 1600’s. With endless flavour variations, it’s the ultimate lazy snack.

Half a miso eggplant garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

This miso eggplant is ridiculously good and only takes a couple of ingredients. It’s a super quick side dish for any occasion, and the miso glaze is both ultra-delicious and unique. Miso, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper, and brown sugar are combined for a four-ingredient glaze that comes together in a flash. This recipe is quite simply absolutely amazing!

A lemon wedge laying next to chicken tempura with chopsticks on the side.

Tender juicy chicken pieces coated in a super light and crispy batter. Discover the secrets to creating the ultimate homemade Chicken Tempura with this easy-to-follow recipe.

This vegan Korean Broccoli Salad is an incredibly easy recipe that comes together in just 15 minutes. Tender-yet-crisp steamed broccoli is tossed in a savory and spicy sauce, then garnished with sesame seeds. Serve it as a vibrant side dish, healthy appetizer, or light snack.

A bright citrusy ponzu sauce to serve with your favorite hotpot dish, over your sashimi or as a nigiri dipping sauce.

Chopsticks resting in a jar of pickled ginger for sushi.

Quick Japanese sliced pickled ginger to serve with your favorite homemade sushi! Making a jar of homemade ginger pickle (aka gari) has never been easier than that.

My recipe for oyako donburi is Japanese inspired comfort food: chicken that is tender to perfection, flavorful, with lots of yummy sauce over fresh hot steamy rice. You can prep this dish ahead of time and it is easy to make for busy weeknight dinners.

Thinly sliced purple daikon radishes topped with black sesame seeds.

Have you ever tasted purple daikon radish? You’ll be surprised by how delicious it is and how quickly this dish comes together. It only takes about 10 minutes from prep to table! The toasted black sesame seeds add a nutty flavor that perfectly compliments this daikon variety’s natural sweetness. The recipe below is vegan and provides step-by-step instructions with a video.

Seaweed salad topping a bowl with chopsticks on the side.

This Easy Seaweed Salad (Wakame) is a flavourful and delicious Japanese-style salad made with dried seaweed that has been reconstituted. It only takes a few minutes to make, and pairs well with Poke Bowls or enjoyed on its own.

Kabocha no nimono on a small plate next to the platter with chopsticks resting next to it.

Kabocha is a bright, sweet squash and this classic Japanese way of preparing it, kabocha no nimono, really brings out the best in it. Tender, flavorful and with such a great rounded flavor. A delicious side.

Looking for a 15-minute stir fry recipe? This keto vegan stir fry is made with colorful vegetables and simple spices. It’s a quick and easy dinner that is healthy and nutritious.

Goma dressing in a small glass jar with small pink flowers garnished next to it.

This simple, fast-to-make, plant-based sesame dressing is found all over Japanese restaurant menus as a house salad dressing. In Japanese the dressing is called ごまドレ (Go-mah-doe-ray). “Goma” means sesame and “Dore” is an abbreviation of Doresshingu (a Japanese word for dressing).

Cold soba noodle salad in a bowl topped with sesame seeds.

This Cold Soba Noodle Salad is my go-to whenever I am craving something light and refreshing for dinner. It’s ready in just 20 minutes or less! I love the nutty flavor and al dente texture of Japanese soba noodles, complemented with fresh crunchy vegetables and a delicious soy-honey dressing.

What To Serve With Sashimi

FAQs

Favorite Recipes

Expert Tips