Norway is the largest producer of Atlantic salmon in the world. The salmon producer Nova Sea has bought into the sushi restaurant Alex Sushi in Oslo. Together, the raw material producer from the Helgeland coast and the sushi chefs at Alex Sushi are creating the perfect sushi salmon. Perhaps the best sushi in Scandinavia?
Nova Sea wishes to teach people about the farming industry. It is in fact possible to visit the producer’s many aquaculture facilities along the coast and that’s why the company wanted to have a ‘showroom’ in the capital of Norway. Inhabitants of Oslo as well as tourists and students can now learn about the salmon and the industry there.
City gourmets have been a large part of Alex Sushi’s clientele since the restaurant opened in 2001. The restaurant was soon talked about in the media both in Norway and internationally as one of the best sushi restaurants in the world outside Japan. Ever since the startup, Alex Sushi has garnered great praise for its unique Japanese delicacies.
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Sushi chef Alex Cabiao was for a long time looking for exactly the salmon that works best for sushi. There are great variations in salmon, both in terms of size, fleshiness, color and marbling of fat. Now, Alex Sushi has farming facilities along the Helgeland coast, surrounded by cold, fresh water and wild beautiful nature. A taste of Helgeland and Japan is now possible in the heart of Oslo.
For the salmon producer pioneer and Nova Sea’s founder, Steinar OIaisen, the startup was extremely challenging. Only 174 of the original 1,200 salmon smolt survived. With focus on quality and sustainability, Nova Sea is now seeing the fruits of many years of hard work.
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Alex Sushi currently consists of two restaurants in Oslo. One at Solli Plass and another which opened in 2012 in gorgeous surroundings, right up to the water’s edge at Tjuvholmen. Inside, the walls are decorated with large modern paintings, created by Scandinavian artists. The artwork is handpicked by the owners of the restaurant, but the real artwork is made right in front of your eyes, behind the bar that surrounds the food preparation area. With Alex Cabiao in front, the experienced chef team serves fresh, delicate pieces of sashimi, nigiri and maki that melts on your tongue. You can choose from three menus in different price ranges, where the chefs have combined the freshest ingredients for a dining experience you will not forget.
It was of course no coincidence that Nova Sea bought into Alex Sushi. Figures from Norway’s Maritime Council showed that turnover in the commodity market increased by 34 per cent ten years ago. Nova Sea has an annual turnover of one billion kroner and produces 230n tons of salmon every day!
The sushi at Alex Sushi is made with exclusive ingredients of everything from Norwegian salmon and halibut, to tuna, soft-shell crab and lobster. If you are experienced in the sushi world, you may want to order the more challenging dishes like gunkan maki and fried salmon skin – and the most daring moves onto both whale and sea urchins.
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The chefs at Alex Sushi are professionals who know the ingredients. However, many of them have never seen fish in a facility. But the knowledge of the cooperating parties literally provides an ocean of possibilities.
The Best Sushi in Scandinavia? written by Tor Kjolberg