‘Underfilled and underwhelming’: best (and worst) supermarket sushi

Most supermarket sushi is so bad that it makes the fact that master sushi chefs in Japan traditionally train for 10 years or more seem entirely reasonable. The products in this test aren’t all bad, though the bar is pretty low. My greatest concern, beyond the freshness of the seafood, was sustainability: fish stocks are depleted and open-water aquaculture (especially salmon farming, the source of the UK’s favourite sushi topping) can have serious environmental implications and poor welfare standards.

I awarded points for quality, freshness and certifications, and for including all three traditional condiments: soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger (most include only soy). Best overall was Taiko smoked salmon deluxe (£6.85 for 291g at Waitrose) ★★★☆☆ — the freshest and most skilfully made sushi of the bunch, rolled fresh in store, with a huge selection of 14 pieces including nigiri, lettuce rolls, hosomaki and smoked salmon, red pepper and rocket rolls.

United Kingdom

supermarket sushi, smoked salmon, taiko, waitrose, nigiri, hosomaki, salmon farming, aquaculture, sustainability, wasabi