What to Serve with Sushi? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Sushi may be a Japanese dish, but it has become one of the most popular dishes in the world.

Since it's exotic food, often containing raw ingredients, people are excited to try it.

Once they take a bite, however, sushi becomes addictive.

Sushi is available in different shapes, sizes, and colors and contains different ingredients.

But they're all delicacies that you want to enjoy.

However, they're often light, and you may not feel full for long.

Hence, other foods often accompany sushi.

Do you know what to serve with sushi? If not, you don't have to search further.

Continue going through this write-up; you'll know what to serve with sushi.

10 Refreshing Sides to Pair with Sushi

Sushi is a delicate dish, so you don't want to overpower it by adding food with strong flavors.

Simple dishes will make it more delicious, so here are the items to serve with sushi - and for spicier gatherings, chili party side ideas for crowds work well too.

1 - Kani Salad

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Since sushi is a Japanese delicacy, let's start the list by adding another dish from the same region.

Kani salad makes a lovely combo with sushi, and they make a complete meal together - for a heartier twist, try orzo salad side pairings for texture with the spread.

Kani salad comprises glass noodles, cucumber, carrot, crab sticks, black sesame seeds, mayonnaise, and lemon.

Crab sticks also go by the name of imitation crab, as most of them contain processed fish meat.

The salad gets its name from crab sticks called kanikama.

Serve the salad and sushi together, and you'll be happy with the results.

2 - Tamagoyaki

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It's also a Japanese delicacy, and we're happy to add this dish to the menu.

Tamagoyaki, or Japanese rolled omelet, is a popular dish often served with sushi.

If you're looking for a dish that you can whip up quickly, you have to serve this.

Tamagoyaki is delicious and fresh; you will also feel full without feeling overloaded.

Besides eggs, the key ingredients include dashi, soy sauce, daikon radish, mirin, nori, sugar, and oil.

Since it's easy to make the eggs, it is also a suitable dish for large crowds as you can make significant portions at a time to suffice everyone present.

Japanese dishes are often complex, but this one is simple, so cook, serve and enjoy.

3 - Seaweed Salad

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Have you tasted seaweed salad? If not, you must because it's delicious and combines nicely with sushi.

It's also called wakame, and the salad offers sweet and sour flavors - for more seaweed accompaniments, see seaweed salad side ideas for variety.

Yes, it's also a Japanese delicacy, but trust us, you won't be disappointed.

The salad contains several ingredients, but all are readily available, so you don't have to

The main items are dried wakame soy sauce, white and black sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, mirin, and sugar.

The salad tastes best when chilled so keep it in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving so that it's perfect for enjoying with sushi.

4 - Miso Soup

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Sushi pairs pretty well with soups, too, and what can be tastier than miso soup? It's made from miso paste and fermented soybean, a popular dish in Japan.

Miso soup usually contains tofu, wakame, green onions, and dashi granules and takes only about twenty minutes to cook - for mains that pair with miso, check miso cod side suggestions for balance.

Miso soup isn't only delicious, but it's also one of the healthiest soups.

It contains a large number of probiotics, also called beneficial bacteria.

Hence, many doctors and health experts suggest miso as part of the diet.

So, you'll have flavors and goodness infused together.

5 - Pickled Ginger (gari)

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Sushi, as you know, is a flexible dish, so that you can consume it with different dishes.

Pickle is one of the items that taste good with sushi.

Gari, or pickled ginger, is a popular variety you can serve with sushi.

Pickled ginger is salty and tangy, which goes with the sushi's flavors nicely.

The fun fact about this food is that you need only four ingredients.

You will need ginger, sea salt, rice, and white vinegar.

You can make pickled ginger from scratch in advance as it's tastier when aged - similarly, pickled fish pairings like pickled herring side suggestions complement salty bites.

You must store it in the fridge for at least one week before serving.

Or you can also get a readymade version from Asian stores.

6 - Wasabi

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Wasabi is a paste made from a rhizome, also called Japanese horseradish.

It has a pungent flavor and is a popular seasoning in Japanese cuisine.

It's served with different foods, including sushi.

Wasabi has also become popular in the Western world, so that you may find it in many eateries.

However, many places sell and serve wasabi that's not made of actual Japanese horseradish.

But Asian grocery stores are likely to have original products, so you should buy from these places.

Or, you can buy the rhizome and prepare wasabi from home.

It will be fresher and more flavorful.

7 - Spinach Sesame Salad (Gomaae)

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If you're looking for new options, add Gomaae or spinach sesame salad to your menu.

It suits perfectly well with sushi, and it's one hell of a dish.

Made with spinach or green beans and some seasonings, the salad tastes awesome and refreshes your palate nicely.

Your salad will be delicious and a hit with your guests.

Like other veggies, spinach tastes best when fresh.

If you buy in advance, store them the right way - storage and serving notes also appear with spinach dip serving sides for parties.

Wrap the spinach in a paper towel to absorb excess water.

If you buy just before making the salad, avoid wilted and bruised spinach leaves.

8 - Tempura

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If you're serving light meals for the occasion, tempura is another item that you can use with sushi.

Tempura is one of the most popular dishes in Japan and many places worldwide because it's tasty and versatile.

Tempura is also simple, as you don't have to undergo numerous steps to make the dish delicious.

You must coat seafood, meat, or veggies in batter and deep fry them.

What you'll have are crunchy and flavorful items.

You can add variety to your menu by making different tempuras, including shrimp, mushrooms, and veggies - for shrimp-specific ideas, see tempura shrimp side options.

We guarantee that all will be delicious.

9 - Chawanmushi

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It means "steamed tea bowl" or "teacup steamed egg custard," Chawanmushi is yummy and perfectly suitable to serve with sushi.

The dish is served in a tea bowl, and it's usually steamed egg with ginkgo, boiled shrimp, and dashi.

Chawanmushi can also include chicken, fish cakes, mushrooms, and green onions.

Salt, sake, mirin, and soy sauce are the usual seasonings used in the dish.

This particular dish will be suitable for big as well as small gatherings as it can be ready in a short while.

The dish tastes best when warm or hot, so serve immediately.

10 - Agedashi Tofu

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Tofu is also a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

It's versatile, and you can cook it in different ways.

Agedashi tofu is a fried dish, but it's light and makes a suitable side dish with sushi.

The tofu is fried and garnished with dashi sauce and dashi, mirin, and soy sauce.

Other ingredients include green onions, daikon radish, and katsuobushi (fermented skipjack tuna).

Sometimes, it may also have bonito flakes, potato starch, and ginger.

Hence, you have many ingredients in the dish, all of which combine to make the dish light, fresh and delicious.

For an eel-focused perspective, flavor notes appear in eel sushi flavor notes explained. For alternatives to traditional rice, explore sushi rice substitute options for rolling.