Paleo Sushi, Please

Sushi without rice?  Without a small bowl of edamame to whet the appetite?  Without soy sauce? Oh, yes. While I’m a fan of sashimi on its own, even if you’re accustomed to ordering interesting rolls of varying descriptions, it’s easy to keep Paleo even during happy hour at your favorite sushi bar. I popped into a local place for lunch just yesterday and was thrilled to find an entire page dedicated to rice-less, soy-free rolls using the beautiful creations the talented chef had created with vegetables ranging from cucumber to daikon to beets in place of the traditional not so Paleo accoutrements typically found in many a sushi restaurant. Fresh, raw fish plus vegetables, including iodine-rich sea veggies, provided all that was needed to create not only an exquisite presentation, but a meal that was both pleasing to the eye and satiating to the body. Yet another example of how easy it is to choose True-Paleo friendly, real food, while dining out. Even if you’re not someone who is completely taken with a True Paleo regime, automatically dunking your sushi or sashimi in a small bowl filled with soy sauce and wasabi is a must-not-do; it can be seen as offensive to the chef who has put the amount of both that he feels is appropriate already into the sushi he’s created. Think of it along the same lines as being served a lovely grass fed filet and dousing it with ketchup or salt before you’ve even tasted it. Just order your sashimi or rice and soy-free sushi and enjoy the flavor of the fresh fish as it is, on its own. The more we focus on the flavor of high quality, local proteins on their own and become less reliant on ‘seasonings’ the closer we are to being even more in keeping with a True Paleo approach.