We’re Rolling Out Fresh Sushi and Onigiri in the Markets
After grocery shopping, you definitely deserve a super cute onigiri snack.
In ultra fresh news, Bi-Rite is excited to announce our new sushi and onigiri offerings, swimming into the cold case just in time for summer, joining your favorite tataki bowls and sesame noodles. The sushi party already got started in the Catering department earlier this year, and now it’s officially rolling into the Markets this month. Technically, sushi isn’t new to Bi-Rite, but the return of a beloved menu item, which has been missing since the pandemic, leaving an onigiri-shaped hole in our hearts. “Each location is going to be doing it fresh every morning, and when we sell out, we sell out,” says chef Kris Hoogerhyde, who’s leading research and development. “You want to eat sushi fresh.”
Sustainable Seafood Considerations
Maybe you’re simply looking for a cute snack, but sushi offers an opportunity to consider sustainability, by featuring responsibly caught and farmed fish. We love albacore caught in the North Pacific, rather than bluefin or other types of tuna, because it’s considered a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. We specifically source it from our trusted local partners at Monterey Fish Market, who also supply many restaurants across SF. Similarly, the salmon in these rolls is the exact same kind you’ll find at the fish counter, responsibly farmed by Skuna Bay near Vancouver Island in British Columbia, a Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certified operation. And it’s boxed up in compostable packaging, including the sushi trays and the onigiri sleeves (just peel off the label sticker before composting).
All the Fresh Flavors
These new additions to the housemade menu include five fresh items, several rolls and a couple of onigiri, with potentially more to come. The Ponzu Tuna Roll features fresh white albacore tuna, lightly marinated in sweet housemade ponzu sauce, tossed with thinly sliced scallions and minced jalapeno, so it has a little kick. The Salmon Salad Roll takes miso marinated and braised Skuna Bay salmon, and flakes it into creamy Kewpie mayo, alongside slender sticks of cucumber. The Sesame Tofu Roll gets a brush of sesame glaze and a bundle of crunchy cukes and carrots. They’re wrapped with seaweed on the outside, and come with the expected wasabi, pickles, and ginger — and notably, tamari instead of soy sauce, so everything’s made without wheat.
The Chicken Teriyaki Onigiri are sure to be the kiddy favorite, packed with sticky-sweet braised chicken thighs, and coated with crunchy toasted sesame seeds. And the veggie Korean Spiced Tofu Onigiri get a brush of spicy gochugaru (chili pepper) glaze, and with the house-marinated tofu, they offer a gently spicy, deeply satisfying flavor. Often onigiri have fillings stuffed in the center, but these come mixed throughout the rice, so every bite is consistently seasoned, with seaweed wrapped around the bottom so you have somewhere to get a grip on the perfect handheld snack. “It’s an on-the-go, easy-to-eat, nugget of deliciousness,” Hoogerhyde says.
Made Fresh in the Markets
What makes the biggest difference, in terms of texture and flavor, is simply making the sushi fresh in the Markets. Grocery store sushi is often made by third-party contractors, sometimes shipping it to stores, and the deeper it chills, the denser it sets. Longtime fans might remember that Bi-Rite used to have a line of sushi, previously prepared at our local commissary kitchen and delivered to the neighborhood Markets. But this time around, we’re taking it one step further, and doing it on location. A couple of dedicated sushi chefs joined the team nearly a decade ago, and they’ve been busy training the cooks on how to rock and roll. In each Market, cooks will chop up the fish every morning, and steam and season the sushi rice, with rice cookers singing behind the counter.
So whether you’re shopping early for a light lunch, or in desperate need of an afternoon snack, there will be fresh options in the case, which gets completely cleared out at night. Don’t forget about Catering, either — it might almost be worth coming into the office for a snazzy lunch of albacore rolls, or can you imagine a cute tray of teriyaki onigiri at a birthday party? “And look forward to new things!” Hoogerhyde promises. “This is just the launch, new flavors will come.”
