Albert Adrià launched this Thursday a new box of Japanese specialties that surprise with the selection of ingredients, the commitment to alternative fish, and the recovery of recipes from the late 19th century that transport us to the heart of Osaka. He does so in collaboration with the international chain Sushi Shop, based in Francesc Macià, which has been working for years with big names in world gastronomy to revolutionize its fusion Japanese cuisine.
"One of the reasons that convinced me to work with them is that they had already collaborated with great chefs," says Adrià, who also recalls that, with his restaurant Pakta, he had explored the gastronomy of the land of the rising sun. The chef refers to collaborations with the late Joël Robuchon or Thierry Marx, and also with the French Mory Sacko, considered one of the chefs with the greatest projection in the current international scene. The most recent, however, has been with visual artist Pierre Brault.
"I have learned a lot from this collaboration. For example, I have realized the complexity of massifying an idea," says Adrià, who faced the challenge of devising sushi pieces that were easy and quick to replicate, an essential factor for a company with 200 restaurants worldwide. He adds: "The project also caught my attention because I have always been interested in collaborating with R&D departments."
However, the final selection of sushi pieces was not easy. "I proposed about twenty and they chose the ones that best fit," with the most complicated being the consensus on ingredients, especially in the case of shiitake. "In fact, the first thing I asked was: 'What ingredients can I not use?'" Adrià explains with a smile.
Each piece has a story
Among the new creations, the chicken and kimchi futomaki stand out, an ingredient that the chef learned to cook in a monastery in Korea, or the Tamago Spring makis, which replace nori seaweed with rice paper, reminiscent of a Thai nem. Adrià, however, has two favorites: "the shiitake gunkan, with mushrooms stewed in a traditional broth and sliced as if they were fish, and the sea bream nigiri, with purple shiso salt and umeboshi, which values white fish over salmon and tuna."
One of the most interesting, however, is the hakozushi, a type of square-shaped sushi, because it is compressed in a wooden box, which applies a technique from 1841 invented at the Yoshino Zushi restaurant in Osaka. It comes in two versions: the first with salmon, ikura, wasabi mayonnaise and tajin spices, which provide a touch of Mexican fusion; and the second with spicy tuna tartare and tapioca pearls marinated in soy sauce.
The limited edition box, which contains a total of 21 pieces and costs €27.90, also includes small-format onigiri with candied shiitake, shortened ginger, furikake and black sesame. In addition to the box, they have also launched a temaki that each diner can assemble to their liking, as if it were a taco, with rice, spicy tuna, shiitake, Japanese guacamole and takuan (pickled daikon). With these ingredients, 15 pieces of sushi with the Adrià seal can be made.