The Complete Guide to Sushi and Sashimi

A thorough, photo-driven guide to sushi and sashimi by two professional chefs with serious credentials. Jeffrey Elliot is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who cooked at Le Cirque and Le Bernardin in New York. Robby Cook served as executive sushi chef at Morimoto, one of New York City’s most respected Japanese restaurants. Together they created a book with 625 step-by-step photographs that walks you through every technique a home sushi maker could want.

Why Start Here

This book goes deeper than most beginner-friendly sushi cookbooks. Elliot and Cook cover the complete process from sourcing and butchering whole fish to preparing sushi rice, slicing sashimi, and assembling every style of sushi. The 625 photographs are the real strength here: each technique is broken down into individual frames showing hand positions, knife angles, and the exact look of each step. If you learn better by seeing rather than reading, this is the book for you.

The authors bring professional-level knowledge but present it in a way that home cooks can follow. They explain knife selection and maintenance, how to assess fish freshness, and the correct way to store ingredients. The recipes progress from straightforward cucumber rolls and basic nigiri to more ambitious preparations like dragon rolls and rainbow rolls. There is also a solid section on sashimi, which many sushi cookbooks treat as an afterthought.

The spiral-bound format is a practical touch. The book lies flat on your counter while you work, which matters when your hands are covered in sticky rice.

What to Expect

A substantial 306-page reference that takes sushi making seriously without being intimidating. The difficulty level is moderate: the early recipes are accessible to beginners, but the book rewards cooks who want to develop proper technique. You will need to invest in a decent knife and seek out sushi-grade fish from a trusted fishmonger or Japanese grocery. The photography is instructional rather than artistic, focused entirely on helping you replicate each technique. This is a book that grows with you as your skills develop.