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Salmon roe from 15 East

By Daisy Carrington | dcarrington@am-ny.com

4:53 PM EDT, April 7, 2008

Masato Shimizu, is the sushi chef at 15 East, a restaurant of Union Square, which marries contemporary Japanese cuisine with very traditional sushi. (Jason Andrew/ amNew York)

Sushi can take any number of forms, from a six-pack of California rolls at your local deli, to melt-in-your-mouth pillows of just-off-the-boat snapper.

Doing justice to the latter variety can take years of training. Just ask Masato Shimizu, the sushi chef at 15 East, a restaurant of Union Square, which marries contemporary Japanese cuisine with very traditional sushi.

"My master always told me it takes ten years [to train to become a sushi chef]. For me, it was seven years, so I get an A+."

Shimizu recalled his first experience with sushi making. He was four or five, and his uncle, also a sushi chef, was carving a piece of tuna.

"I was like, wow, this is very cool. I'm going to be a sushi chef," he said. After training under sushi master Rikio Kugo of Tokyo's renowned Sukeroku, Shimizu moved to New York and worked at Jewel Bako before moving to 15 East.

"For me it is perfect," he noted, "I wouldn't like to work in the kitchen. The kitchen is very quiet so it's kind of boring for me. The sushi bar is my station. The customer can sit and talk, and can see the technique, and how delicate the cut is."

If you want to expand your mind beyond the ubiquitous maki roll (which 15 East doesn't serve), Shimizu enjoys helping his patrons venture beyond their comfort zone, sometimes even taking out books at the sushi counter to demonstrate the various cuts of fish. Though some of the selections may seem unfamiliar, and perhaps scary, such as the slow poached octopus, Shimizu is happy to take it slow.

"Asian people like shellfish more than Americans, and the crunchy stuff, like clams, which Americans don't like so much. Maybe it's a little fishy. But I try, and I'll give them a thin piece, with just soy sauce, and lemon and salt, and say, 'please try this, it's very tasty.' Little by little, some people try it."

15 East: 15 East 15th St., bet. Union Square West and Fifth Ave.; 212-647-0015

Q&A with Masato Shimizu

How fresh is the fish you use? We don't use frozen stuff. Our fish comes in every day, and the fish I serve for lunch, I'm not going to serve at dinner.

Aside from freshness, what makes a piece of sushi superior? My master always said, people eat with their eyes first, then their smell, and finally with their mouths. Many people make sushi quickly, but it's very ugly for me. It doesn't have the perfect balance.

What are some off-the-menu items? Right now, spiny lobster from San Diego and California black sea urchin.

Where do you go to eat sushi? My day off is on Sunday, and it's very difficult for a restaurant to get fresh fish on Sundays. If I go to a restaurant in New York, I usually eat steak.

Recipe

Ikura shoyu (soy marinated salmon roe) Serves 4

4 inch piece dried kombu seaweed
1 quart of water
1 1/4 cup bonito flakes (available at most Asian markets)
¼ cup mirin