Sushi chef Lewis Aleta tells us about his new business Fish Lips Sushi

“Sushi is an art form – it’s very precise with strict guidelines and rules to work by in the preparation stages,” explains Lewis Aleta, a trained sushi chef.

“Traditionally a chef would be in training for ten or 15 years before they could be classed as a sushi master. Now they are spitting them out after two years of training because of the demand for sushi.”

The dad of two has just launched his business, Fish Lips Sushi, offering authentic, high quality sushi, for delivery to Colchester residents.

Usually the mainstay of busy City professionals or trendy bars and restaurants in London, Lewis is keen to bring the high quality sushi to Colchester.

Also working full-time as a chef at three Clacton schools, he is starting small, just two evenings a week, but is passionate about encouraging people to try the real thing.

He says: “A lot of people have misconceptions about what raw fish tastes like, or even what sushi is. Sushi is seasoned, or vinegared rice mixed with mainly raw, but sometimes cooked fish and vegetables. People think sushi will be slimy, wet and smell fishy, but real, good quality sushi is not like that.

“For those who are beginners we have some rolls using flavours they may recognise, like tempura. It’s a western flavour but they would know it. then we have some other pieces for people who may want to explore or are familiar with sushi.”

The 24-year-old, of High Woods, in Colchester, was trained at a Japanese restaurant in London by its Filipino head chef and now Lewis is determind not to let the skills disappear.

Lewis explains: “I was privileged to learn and it would be wrong of me to turn my back on it and lose those five years.

“How you cook your rice, what rice you use and what fish you choose and how you cut it all play a part.

There are ancient traditions which dictate how you make the food. It’s worked because it’s been around for so long.

“There are a lot of places that do sushi really badly, but when people experience sushi at some of the top places in London it all changes.”

Lewis has his fish delivered fresh each week, including sea bass, tuna, slamon and fresh water eel, or unagi, and prepares it himself ready for his delivery sushi business on Thursday and Friday nights. The specialist ingredients are ordered directly from Japan.

He works from his home kitchen after securing a five-star health and hygeine rating on it from the council, and gets to work on the rice, adding fillings such as avocado, spring onions, cucumber and Japanese radish.

As well as his takeaway delivery business Lewis takes Fish Lips Sushi to the market at Essex University’s Wivenhoe campus every fortnight.

Within a couple of hours he has sold out.

“I make about 200 to 400 rolls every time I am there and they still all go,” he laughs.

“Michael J Fitch, the star of Channel 4’s Freak Magic, is a big fan of sushi. He even came to the university market once and postponed his meeting to get a sushi fix.”

He admits he may soon need to start training someone up to help him and hopes to work with students at Colchester Institute.

“Sushi chefs in Colchester are few and far between,” says Lewis.

“And because training is hard and long, and because sushi chefs don’t like to share their secrets, the number remains quite small. But I like that.”