sashimi
Enable an AI agent to recognise a sashimi preparation, assess its documented condition and handling history, and decide whether it may be prepared, served, held or withdrawn.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a sashimi preparation, assess its documented condition and handling history, and decide whether it may be prepared, served, held or withdrawn.
Sashimi is a Japanese plated preparation of raw, or only briefly treated, muscle of fish, cephalopod, shellfish, or rarely other flesh, cut to a defined slice geometry and served without vinegared rice as the starch vehicle.
It can be Identify and label the sashimi material, preparation and unresolved boundary cases.; Allocate a traceable ingredient batch into documented cuts and portions.; Compare treatment and handling evidence with the requirements applicable to the identified material and service context.; Hold or present a portion while recording temperature, elapsed time and contact events.; Release for service, withhold or withdraw a portion with an explicit decision basis.; Trace affected portions back to source lots and forward to service or disposal..
Distinguishing features
Determine whether the preparation is designated and presented as sashimi; raw fish alone does not establish this identity.
Check whether seasoned rice forms the assembled preparation: fish placed on or enclosed with such rice generally requires a sushi boundary decision.
Record whether the principal material is sliced, minced, scraped or otherwise divided; distinguish sashimi cuts from tartare and other chopped preparations.
Record cooking, searing, curing and marinating explicitly; resolve borderline preparations through a documented culinary convention rather than assuming all sashimi must be untreated raw fish.
Identify the actual edible material instead of inferring fish from the name; non-fish and non-seafood uses of sashimi require an explicit scope decision.
Scope
+ Ingredient identity and the preparation's designation as sashimi
+ Cut geometry, portion composition and physical integrity
+ Source, treatment and handling evidence attached to the portion or batch
+ Observed condition and evidence supporting service eligibility
+ Accompaniments, exposure during service and final disposition
- The whole animal, its biology and its capture or farming operation
- General seafood inventory before allocation to sashimi preparation
- Sushi preparations organised around seasoned rice
- Recipes and production models for sauces, rice and garnishes
- Kitchen equipment, premises and staff management
- The diner's health profile and the applicable food-safety regulatory system
Characteristics
- Culinary designation
- Declared preparation name and supporting culinary convention; unresolved Separates sashimi identity from the mere presence of uncooked animal material.
- Edible material identity
- Ingredient record with declared species, identification confidence and anatomical part Supports recognition, substitution checks and selection of relevant handling requirements.
- Preparation treatments
- Recorded sequence of freezing, thawing, searing, cooking, curing, marinating or other treatments; unknown Treatments affect both the preparation boundary and the evidence needed before service.
- Cut geometry
- Thickness, length and width in mm; orientation relative to muscle fibres where applicable Distinguishes intended cuts and supports assessment of portion consistency and physical damage.
- Portion quantity
- Edible mass in g and piece count Makes the assessed and served quantity explicit.
- Source-lot linkage
- Links from each ingredient component to supplier lot and supporting records Allows evidence, recalls and unresolved identity issues to follow the affected pieces.
- Time and temperature history
- Timestamped temperature observations in °C, durations in minutes and explicit coverage gaps Provides evidence for evaluating holding and exposure against applicable requirements.
- Observed sensory condition
- Timestamped appearance, odour, texture and surface observations; unassessed Records deterioration or quality concerns without treating sensory acceptability as proof of safety.
- Service eligibility
- Not assessed; awaiting evidence; eligible under recorded criteria; withheld; withdrawn Separates a documented decision from appearance, freshness claims or marketing labels.
- Accompaniment and contact relationships
- Links to sauces, garnishes, other portions and relevant contact events Identifies additions and contacts that change the served portion's composition or assessment.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.sashimi
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Sashimi identity Establishes what the preparation is and why it belongs in this model.
Neither a raw appearance nor a fish ingredient is sufficient to identify sashimi.
Culinary boundary
Records the designation and distinguishes neighbouring preparations.
Preparation designation
Capture the declared sashimi identity and the convention used to interpret it.
- What preparation name is used, and whose culinary convention supports classifying it as sashimi? definition
- Does its rice assembly, chopping, curing or other preparation place it within a neighbouring model? boundary
Material identification
Identifies the edible material independently of menu terminology.
Species and edible part
Record material identity, anatomical part and uncertainty for each component.
- What species or other edible material and anatomical part does each component contain? definition
- What supplier or identification evidence supports that identity, and where is it uncertain? provenance
Cut and portion Describes how the edible material becomes recognisable sashimi pieces and portions.
Cut thickness, orientation and integrity influence the intended eating qualities and distinguish preparations.
Slicing intent
Connects the intended cut to the material and observed geometry.
Cut profile
Record the named or described cut and its measurable execution.
- What cut style is intended for this material, including orientation relative to muscle fibres where relevant? definition
- What are the observed piece dimensions and their variation within the portion? measurement
Portion integrity
Tracks the composition and physical condition of the assembled pieces.
Piece composition and integrity
Make mixed assortments, quantities and cutting defects explicit.
- How many pieces and how much edible mass belong to each material in the portion? measurement
- Which pieces show tearing, crushing, unwanted connective tissue or unintended bone or shell fragments? measurement
Source and treatment evidence Connects sashimi components to their origin and relevant treatment records.
Suitability for the intended service cannot be established from the preparation name or visual inspection.
Lot continuity
Maintains source identity through trimming, slicing and assortment assembly.
Piece-to-lot trace
Associate each component with the records supporting its identity and supply history.
- Which source lot supplied each component, including components combined on one plate? provenance
- Where did trimming, repacking or mixing interrupt the link between pieces and source records? provenance
Treatment applicability
Separates treatments performed from claims about what those treatments establish.
Documented treatment basis
Record actual treatments and the external requirements used to evaluate them.
- What freezing, thawing, heating, curing or other treatments are documented, with process parameters and record sources? provenance
- Which requirements or exemptions apply to this identified material and intended service, and what evidence supports their application? boundary
Condition and service eligibility Combines handling history, observations and decision criteria for the sashimi portion.
A portion may look acceptable while lacking the evidence needed to authorise service.
Handling exposure
Tracks relevant conditions across thawing, slicing, holding and display.
Exposure history
Record observed time and temperature conditions and gaps in monitoring.
- What timestamped temperatures and exposure durations are known during thawing, slicing, holding and display? measurement
- Which intervals lack reliable records, and which observations measured the food rather than its surroundings? provenance
Condition decision
Keeps sensory observations distinct from the basis for service eligibility.
Assessed portion state
Record the portion's observed condition and a bounded decision supported by evidence.
- What changes in colour, translucency, odour, texture, surface moisture or drip are observed, and when? measurement
- Under which recorded criteria may this portion be served, held pending evidence or withdrawn? action
Presentation and disposition Tracks what accompanies the sashimi and what happens to it during and after service.
Plating, shared contacts and service exposure can change the composition and disposition of individual pieces.
Served composition
Identifies additions and relevant contacts in the presented portion.
Accompaniments and contact
Record sauces, garnishes and contact relationships affecting the served sashimi.
- Which sauces, garnishes and other edible components accompany or directly coat the sashimi? definition
- What shared knife, board, utensil or plate contacts are documented, and what ingredient or allergen information do they introduce? provenance
Service endpoint
Follows the portion from release through consumption, return or withdrawal.
Portion disposition
Record service events and the permitted next action for remaining pieces.
- When was the portion released, presented, returned or removed, and which pieces remain accounted for? provenance
- Given its documented exposure and applicable rules, what disposition is authorised for unserved or returned pieces? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Maguro (tuna) sashimi, further split in practice into akami, chūtoro, and ōtoro by fat band of the loin
- White-flesh fish sashimi, especially sea bream (tai) and flounder (hirame), often as paper-thin usuzukuri
- Salmon (sake) sashimi, the dominant export-market form though historically less central in Japan
- Yellowtail sashimi (hamachi / buri, life-stage names of Seriola)
- Cephalopod sashimi: ika (squid, usually raw) and tako (octopus, usually parboiled then sliced)
- Bivalve and other shellfish sashimi, notably hotate (scallop) and awabi (abalone)
- Katsuo (skipjack) as tataki: seared exterior, raw interior, still sold and plated as a sashimi course
- Fugu tessa: licensed pufferfish sashimi, a separately regulated specialty rather than a general market form
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Wikidata - Q20128 - Item for sashimi as the culinary preparation; not a species or commodity code.
- Japanese name - 刺身 - Standard written form; also seen as お造り (o-tsukuri) on high-end menus for the same class of plate.
- HS (Harmonized System) - 0302 / 0304 - Trade headings for fresh or chilled fish and fillets that may be sold for sashimi; there is no sashimi-specific HS subheading.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- U.S. FDA Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, and 21 CFR Part 123 (seafood HACCP): parasite-kill freezing for fish to be eaten raw; histamine controls for scombroids. 'Sashimi-grade' is commercial language, not an FDA or USDA grade.
- EU Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 Annex III Section VIII, with freezing rules for fishery products intended to be eaten raw (as implemented, including Regulation (EU) No 1276/2011).
- Codex Alimentarius CXC 52-2003, Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (FAO/WHO).
- Japan Food Sanitation Act (食品衛生法, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare): domestic sashimi is governed as a hygiene and cold-chain practice; freezing is not universally mandated as in the US/EU raw-fish rules.
- Japanese prefectural and MHLW licensing of pufferfish (fugu) processors: tetrodotoxin control, not a general sashimi standard.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- A standalone course in sushi-ya and kaiseki: sliced fish arranged with tsuma garnishes, soy sauce, and wasabi, eaten without rice as the vehicle.
- Supermarket and fish-shop tray packs in Japan labelled 刺身 or 刺身用, meaning the lot was handled for raw service.
- Restaurant and retail sale of loins and fillets marketed as 'sashimi-grade' in North America, Europe, and Australia - a handling/marketing claim, not a statutory grade.
- Conveyor-belt, takeaway, and home slicing of chilled salmon, tuna, and yellowtail portions.
- Regulated specialty service of fugu tessa in licensed Japanese (and a few overseas) restaurants.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Slice thickness - about 1 (usuzukuri) to 7-10 (hira-zukuri) - mm
- Portion mass as a course - 60-150 - g
- Holding / service temperature of the flesh - 0-4 - °C
- Parasite-destruction freeze (FDA option A) - −20 or below for ≥7 days - °C / days
- Parasite-destruction freeze (FDA option B) - −35 or below until solid, then −35 for ≥15 hours - °C / hours
- Histamine defect action level in scombroid species (FDA) - 50 (action); 500 (adulteration) - mg/kg
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Anisakis and other nematodes in wild fish that was not frozen to a parasite-kill schedule or thoroughly visually inspected.
- Scombroid (histamine) poisoning from temperature-abused tuna, skipjack, mackerel, and related species.
- Bacterial and viral infection from raw service: Vibrio spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and norovirus, especially with broken cold chain or contaminated water/handling.
- Tetrodotoxin from fugu processed outside licensed removal of toxic organs.
- Ciguatera and other algal toxins in some reef fish, which freezing and slicing do not remove.
- Species substitution and mislabelling of high-value loins (tuna, snapper, and similar).
- Rapid quality failure after slicing: drip, browning, and off-odour from oxidation and surface drying, even when still microbiologically within a short chilled window.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Japan: wide species calendar, named cuts and slice geometries, and 刺身用 as a handling claim; freezing is not the default domestic control the way it is in US/EU raw-fish rules.
- Korea: hoe (회) is the closest everyday analogue - often thicker slices, commonly eaten with cho-gochujang rather than only soy and wasabi.
- North America, Europe, Australia: salmon-heavy plates; 'sashimi-grade' used in trade without a legal grade behind it.
- Hawaii: poke (cubed, seasoned) occupies much of the raw-fish retail niche that sliced sashimi occupies in Japan.
- Peru and Japanese-Peruvian kitchens: tiradito uses sashimi-like slices but with acid and chilli dressings.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Nigiri sushi - The same raw fish on a finger of vinegared rice; sashimi is the fish course without that rice vehicle.
- Ceviche - Flesh is acid-denatured in citrus (and usually cut as chunks or strips in a marinade), not served as untreated slices.
- Crudo - Italian or contemporary raw-fish plate, typically already dressed with oil, citrus, or salt; sashimi is customarily undressed until the diner adds soy and wasabi.
- Carpaccio - Shaved or pounded slices, classically beef, served under oil, lemon, and cheese or similar; geometry and dressing are not sashimi practice.
- Poke - Cubed fish mixed in sauce; not a composed slice plate.
- Tataki - Exterior is seared; when plated as a sashimi course (especially katsuo) the seared crust is the test, whereas classic sashimi has no cooked surface.
- Hoe (회) - Korean raw-fish service; separate by condiment set (cho-gochujang, ssam) and typically thicker cut, not by the fact of being raw sliced fish.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of sashimi this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Sashimi - Name, Japanese culinary identity (刺身), distinction from sushi, common species and cutting styles, and neighbour dishes.
- Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance - Parasite-destruction freezing times for fish served raw, histamine (scombroid) controls, and that 'sashimi-grade' is not an FDA grade.
- Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin - EU hygiene rules for fishery products intended to be eaten raw, including freezing requirements later detailed in implementing rules.
- Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (CXC 52-2003) - International hygiene and handling practice for fishery products, including those eaten without further cooking.
- Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art - Practitioner account of sashimi as a cut-and-plated course, slice geometries (hira-zukuri, usuzukuri, and related forms), and service with soy, wasabi, and garnishes - not as a rice dish.
What the second pass must settle
- Which culinary references should govern inclusion of seared, cured, cooked, non-seafood and plant-based preparations described as sashimi?
- Which species-, origin- and jurisdiction-specific requirements govern treatment and service eligibility, and what documentation establishes any exemption?
- Which cut terminology and measurable quality criteria are appropriate for each included edible material?
- What evidence should substantiate supplier terms such as sashimi-grade, and how should unsupported claims be represented?
- Which validated criteria should govern holding, display and disposition after service for the intended operating context?