Shiro: Wit, Wisdom & Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer

＂Shiro Kashiba stands atop any list defining Japanese food in Seattle. He’s been called many things--culinary master, fisherman, mushroom forager and nature lover--but first and foremost he’s the ＂Sushi King.＂ His eponymous debut cookbook is no chef-vanity affair, though, but a riveting and imaginative blending of East and West in the quest for high gastronomic art.＂ --Shelf Awareness

＂A fabulous read for sushi lovers or anyone who enjoys a simple memoir filled with both inspiration and perseverance.＂ -Library Journal

Shiro Kashiba used to walk to the fishing piers of Seattle in the 1960s to retrieve buckets of unwanted salmon roe and pesky Puget Sound octopus from the fishermen. He’d hike the beaches of the Pacific Northwest to gather geoduck before there was a market for the shellfish. Chef Shiro saw treasure where others saw trash. And through this sushi chef’s eyes, readers discover the amazing bounty of the Pacific Northwest.

In this revealing cookbook/memoir, Chef Shiro recounts his early days in Tokyo washing dishes and sleeping in the backroom of a prestigious Ginza sushi shop, his decision to come to the United States with little more than an introductory letter, and his ultimate success in Seattle.

But the story doesn’t stop there. While Shiro settles into his role as Seattle’s premier sushi chef, he develops a deep appreciation for the local delicacies of his new home. Soon he begins to replace expensive Japanese imports with cheaper and more delicious local delicacies. Goodbye bluefin, hello albacore. Shiro tells fascinating and often humorous stories about the region’s offerings: his first encounters with geoduck (some say he was the first to serve it raw), the world’s tastiest sea urchin, hunting for matsutake mushrooms in the Cascades, a twelve-course meal of silvery ocean smelt, and much more. Ann Norton provides mouthwatering photographs of Shiro’s seasonal recipes.

Shiro Kashiba is an award-winning sushi chef trained in Tokyo’s Ginza district at one of Japan’s elite sushi restaurants. He opened the first sushi bar in Seattle, WA, in 1966 and pioneered a sushi boom in the Pacific Northwest, opening several restaurants and training future sushi chefs in his kitchen. He is a staunch advocate of using local ingredients and serves locally sourced sushi and Japanese cuisine at his popular Seattle sushi bar, Shiro’s.

Ann Norton is a Seattle-based fine artist specializing in photography.