Most people eat sushi with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger — and that's exactly right. Those three are the foundation. Everything else builds on them.
But working at a London sushi bar, I use a wider range of condiments daily — matched to specific fish, specific preparations, specific textures. Some of these combinations you won't find at most restaurants. Some are underrated in a way that genuinely surprises people the first time they try them.
Here's what we actually use — and why.
The Foundation — Three Condiments Every Sushi Meal Needs
Soy Sauce — Shoyu
The base of everything. Good shoyu has a depth and balance that cheap soy sauce completely lacks — less salt, more complexity, a slight sweetness underneath. At the restaurant we use Japanese shoyu, not Chinese soy sauce. The difference is significant enough to notice immediately.
The rule with shoyu: dip the fish side lightly, not the rice. If you dip the rice it absorbs too much and falls apart. A light touch is everything — you want to enhance the fish, not drown it.
Chef's Note
Never mix wasabi directly into your soy sauce bowl. It dilutes the wasabi, changes the flavour, and wastes it. Place a small amount of wasabi directly on the fish or between fish and rice. That's how it's intended to be used.
Wasabi
Real wasabi — made from the wasabi plant — is mild, fragrant, and fades quickly. What most restaurants serve is a mixture of horseradish, mustard, and food colouring. The difference is significant but real wasabi is expensive and perishable. At most restaurants outside Japan, what you're getting is the imitation — which is still good, just different.
Use it sparingly. A small amount directly on the fish or pre-applied by the chef on nigiri. It's there to complement the fish, not overwhelm it.
Pickled Ginger — Gari
Gari is a palate cleanser — not a condiment to eat with the sushi. Between pieces, not on top of them. It resets your palate so the next piece tastes as clean as the first. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood elements of a sushi meal. Eat it between pieces, not alongside them.
Beyond the Basics — What We Use at the Bar
Professional Kitchen Use
Yuzu Koshu Paste
This is the most underrated condiment in sushi and you won't find it everywhere. Yuzu koshu is a Japanese paste made from yuzu citrus peel, chilli, and salt — bright, citrusy, slightly spicy, and intensely fragrant. A tiny amount on a piece of scallop or yellowtail nigiri elevates it completely.
It cuts through richness, enhances delicate fish, and adds a dimension that soy sauce alone can't provide. If you can find yuzu koshu at a Japanese supermarket — try it. It's genuinely one of the best things you can put on a piece of quality nigiri.
→ Best with: scallop nigiri, yellowtail (hamachi) nigiri, white fish sashimi
Professional Kitchen Use
Ponzu Soy Dressing
Ponzu is a citrus-based soy sauce — lighter, more acidic, and brighter than standard shoyu. We use it as a dressing for carpaccio-style preparations — thin slices of fish or scallop laid flat with ponzu, a few drops of sesame oil, and thinly sliced garnish. It works where regular soy sauce would be too heavy.
Ponzu is also excellent as a dipping sauce for sashimi when you want something lighter than shoyu — particularly with fatty fish like salmon or tuna where the acidity cuts through the richness perfectly.
→ Best with: carpaccio, fatty fish sashimi, scallop
Professional Kitchen Use
Soy-Wasabi Mix on Salmon Nigiri
A small amount of wasabi mixed with soy sauce and brushed directly on top of salmon nigiri — not mixed into a dipping bowl, but applied as a finishing glaze on the fish. The combination enhances the fattiness of salmon in a way that straight shoyu or straight wasabi doesn't achieve alone.
This is a kitchen technique rather than a table condiment — but it's one of the simplest ways to elevate a piece of salmon nigiri significantly.
→ Best with: salmon nigiri, fatty tuna (toro) nigiri
Professional Kitchen Use
Sesame and Togarashi on Rolls
Togarashi is a Japanese seven-spice blend — chilli, sesame, orange peel, and other spices. Sprinkled on top of maki rolls it adds texture, warmth, and complexity. Combined with toasted sesame seeds it creates a finish that transforms a simple roll into something more interesting. We use it on uramaki rolls regularly.
→ Best with: uramaki rolls, spicy maki, salmon rolls
The Problem with London Sushi — An Honest Opinion
Many London restaurants have taken sushi in a direction that I find genuinely difficult to watch — heavy westernisation through condiments. Too much mayo, excessive eel sauce, crunchy toppings on everything, signature rolls buried under three different sauces.
Sushi is a delicate dish. The fish, the rice, the balance — these are what make it exceptional. When you add heavy Western-inspired sauces to every piece, you stop tasting the sushi and start tasting the sauce. There's nothing wrong with creative combinations, and I use some of them myself. But presenting everything with Western modification as the default isn't quite right. It loses the point of the dish.
The condiments that work are the ones that enhance what's already there — not the ones that replace it.
What to Use at Home — Simple Rules
If you're making sushi at home and want to use condiments properly:
- Start with soy sauce and wasabi — these are all you need for a proper sushi experience. Get good quality shoyu and use it lightly.
- Use ginger between pieces — as a palate cleanser, not a topping.
- Try wasabi-mayo on rolls — a small amount mixed together as a dipping sauce for maki. Underrated and genuinely good.
- Find yuzu koshu — available at Japanese supermarkets and online. Try a tiny amount on your best piece of nigiri. It will surprise you.
Quick Reference — Condiments for Sushi
- Soy sauce — dip fish side lightly, not rice. Good shoyu makes a real difference.
- Wasabi — on the fish directly, not mixed into soy sauce
- Pickled ginger — between pieces as palate cleanser, not with sushi
- Yuzu koshu — underrated, exceptional on scallop and yellowtail nigiri
- Ponzu — lighter than shoyu, excellent for carpaccio and fatty fish
- Togarashi — adds warmth and texture to maki rolls
- Less is more — condiments enhance the fish, they don't replace it
The best sushi needs very little. The best condiment use makes you taste the fish more — not less. 🔪