Sashimi lovers: This one’s for you.

Low in calories, high in protein, nice to look at: Why not make sashimi bites.

We spotted these on the Facebook page of Chef Eric Ripert. While known worldwide for Le Bernardin in New York City, these are at his restaurant Blue, at the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman.

Chef Ripert’s caption says that he marinated local wahoo in a sour orange juice marinade. The result is full of protein with just a few calories.
 
 
OUR COPYCAT RECIPE: SASHIMI BITES

We’ve never been to Grand Cayman, but re-created a version of the recipe with a yuzu marinade (we always have a bottle of yuzu juice on hand). The biggest problem was finding a substitute for the wahoo fish, also known as ono.

Wahoo is a mild white fish with a firm texture (“muscular”, and the fillets are thick enough to slice bites of 1″ high or more. We settled on Alaskan Halibut, which is also white and mild. Your fishmonger may have other ideas.

Customize your marinade like a tiradito sauce: olive oil and citrus juice (lemon, lime, yuzu), salt and pepper, and whatever other seasonings you like: grated ginger or garlic, a bit of cayenne or other dried chile.

You can also use a favorite fish marinade recipe, or a Dijon vinaigrette.

Note that photo #1 shows the bites with fingerling potato chips. While homemade at the restaurant, you may be able to find them at specialty stores—or make your own potato chips.

Also, we don’t know what the menu calls these morsels, but we call them “sashimi bites”
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. RINSE and pat dry the fish. Cut into 1″ cubes (larger if you like) and marinate, turning occasionally.

2. STEAM the carrots until they are tender but not falling apart. Set aside to cool, then slice into 1/4-inch pieces.

3. REMOVE the cubes from the marinade and shake off the excess. Assemble on a plate: cube, carrot, herb. If you want to serve as a tiradito, make extra marinade to spoon onto the bottom of the plate.
 
 
We don’t know about you, but we could eat an entire tray.

[2] Wahoo’s flesh is thick and meaty (photo courtesy Giovanni’s Fish Market).

[3] Wahoo, which can grow to 8 feet, are a favorite for sports fishing (photo courtesy Sport Fishing Magazine).

Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is originally from Hawaii, where it is caught wild. It is also known as ono, a Hawaiian word that means “good to eat”.

It is also fished in the Gulf Of Mexico. It favors tropical and subtropical waters.

Wahoo is a member of the same fish family (Scombridae) as bonito, mackerel and tuna. It is closely related to king mackerel.

Its colors are radiant: The back of the fish is iridescent blue, while the sides are silvery with a pattern of blue and silver stripes (photo #3).

The fish can grow quite large, up to eight feet in length and weighing up to 183 pounds. They are some of the fastest fish in the sea, clocked at 60 mph [source]. It is a favorite for sports fishing.

Most important for eating, wahoo is a delicious fish: It has a firm texture like swordfish (photo #2) and a mild, sweet, rich taste.

The firm flesh is can be grilled easily.