# Home Omakase

> Use when someone wants to plan and execute a home / DIY omakase or Japanese multi-course meal — pick the courses, choose and source the fish, scale portions, build a shopping list, and run a prep timeline so dishes are served one at a time. Triggers on "家庭版 omakase", "在家做 omakase", "home omakase", "自己做寿司宴", "割烹 / kaiseki 家宴", "认鱼 / 选鱼 / 刺身级鱼怎么买", "寿司宴菜单 / 采购清单 / 备菜流程", "DIY sushi course / tasting menu at home". Do NOT use for restaurant reservations, ordering takeout, single-recipe lookups, or non-Japanese dinner-party planning.

- Skill: `zwbao/home-omakase` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 7 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add zwbao/home-omakase`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/zwbao/home-omakase/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: zwbao (https://skillmd.com/u/zwbao)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/zwbao/home-omakase

---


# home-omakase

Turn "I want to do an omakase at home" into an executable plan: a course-by-course
menu sized to the cook's budget and skill, the right fish chosen and sourced
safely, portions scaled to headcount, a printable shopping list, and a
**time-reversed prep schedule** so the host plates one course at a time instead
of drowning at service. The skill's whole value is the *rhythm* — omakase is
"served one piece at a time, in sequence," not "a platter dumped on the table."

A real home omakase succeeds or fails on three things, in order: **醋饭 (sushi
rice) > sourcing safe fish > knife work**. Most beginners over-invest in
expensive fish and under-invest in rice and prep timing. This skill counters
that.

## When to Use

- "我想在家做一次 omakase / 割烹 / 寿司宴,你帮我安排" — full planning request.
- "几个人、预算 X、在 [城市],帮我出菜单 + 采购清单 + 备菜流程."
- "认鱼 / 哪些鱼能生吃 / 刺身级鱼去哪买 / 怎么挑" — sourcing & fish-ID help.
- "我醋饭老是失败 / 握不成形 / toro 炙烤怎么做" — technique troubleshooting in a
  home-omakase context.
- The user shared a paid "omakase course" and is deciding whether they actually
  need it — give them the free, actionable version instead.

## When NOT to Use

- Booking or reviewing a **restaurant** omakase → not a cooking task.
- A single recipe ("how do I make tamagoyaki") with no course/menu context →
  answer directly, no skill needed.
- General dinner-party or non-Japanese menu planning → adjacent, different
  domain knowledge.
- Food-safety **medical** questions (parasites, pregnancy, immunocompromised) →
  give the safety rules in `references/sourcing-and-prep.md` but tell the user to
  confirm with a clinician; do not improvise medical advice.

## Workflow

### Step 1 — Intake (ask only what's missing)

You need five parameters to produce a real plan. If the user already gave some,
**don't re-ask** — only fill gaps. Use `AskUserQuestion` for the rest, in one
batch:

| Param | Why it matters |
|-------|----------------|
| **人数 (headcount)** | Scales portions and caps course count — one host can't hand-form sushi for >6 in rhythm. |
| **预算 / 档位** | Selects the course template (entry / mid / splurge) and which fish are realistic. |
| **城市 / 采购渠道** | Determines which fish are actually buyable — sourcing is the #1 real constraint, not skill. |
| **忌口 / 过敏 / 不吃生** | Drives substitutions; "不吃全生" → shift toward 炙烤 / 烧物 / 蒸物. |
| **经验 / 设备** | First-timer + no torch → steer to 割烹式 (higher 容错), not 20-piece nigiri marathon. |

If the user is clearly a beginner, **default to 割烹式 (course meal: 前菜→刺身→
烧物→炸物→握寿司→汁物→甜点)** over pure nigiri — it has far more error tolerance
and still feels like high-end omakase. Say so and let them override.

### Step 2 — Design the course (use the template, then customize)

Read `references/course-templates.md`. Pick the template matching the budget
tier and headcount, then customize against 忌口 and what's buyable in their
city. Output a numbered course list with, for each course: dish name (CN + JP),
the key ingredient, and whether it's prep-ahead or à-la-minute.

Rules of thumb baked into the templates:
- 8–10 courses for 2–4 people; never exceed what the host can plate in rhythm.
- Lead with cold/prep-ahead courses (先付/刺身) so the host isn't cooking at the
  start; put à-la-minute items (天妇罗, 炙烤握寿司) in the middle/late.
- One "wow" course (toro 炙烤 / 海胆军舰 / 喉黑盐烤) is enough — don't stack three
  splurge items; it blows budget without raising perceived quality.

### Step 3 — Fish selection & sourcing (safety is non-negotiable)

Read `references/fish-guide.md` for the 认鱼速查表 (species → part → season →
how to pick → how to eat) and `references/sourcing-and-prep.md` for channels.

**Hard safety rules — state these every time raw fish is involved, never soften:**
- Only **生食级 / 刺身级 / sashimi-grade** fish, from a vendor who labels it as
  such. "Fresh" ≠ "safe to eat raw."
- Freshwater fish and wild salmon are **not** eaten raw without commercial
  freezing (parasite risk). Farmed "三文鱼" sold sashimi-grade is fine.
- Keep cold chain unbroken; slice with a clean board/knife reserved for raw fish;
  eat the day of purchase.
- Pregnant / immunocompromised / young children / elderly → flag the elevated
  risk and recommend cooked courses; do not wave it away.

Never invent a vendor, price, or "safe to eat raw" claim for a specific product —
if unsure, say "confirm sashimi-grade with the vendor" rather than guessing.

### Step 4 — Scale portions & build the shopping list

Scale each course to headcount (sashimi ≈ 4–5 slices/person/fish; nigiri 1
piece/person/type). Produce a **shopping list grouped by store section** (鱼/
生鲜 · 主食调料 · 蔬果 · 即买现成) with quantities. Mark each line:
🛒 buy fresh same-day vs 📦 pantry/can-buy-ahead. Include the rice and
寿司醋 — beginners forget the rice is the soul of the meal.

### Step 5 — Prep timeline (time-reversed from service)

This is the step that separates a calm host from a chaotic one. Read
`references/sourcing-and-prep.md` § prep timeline. Produce a schedule working
**backward from serving time**:

- **Day before / morning**: 醋饭米泡水、出汁 (dashi)、腌渍、甜点、茶碗蒸液、
  酱汁 — everything that holds.
- **2–3 h before**: cook rice → season → cool to body temp (covered with damp
  cloth); portion fish blocks; set up the "吧台" plating station.
- **At service**: only slicing + assembly + à-la-minute frying/torching remain.

Goal: by the time guests arrive, ≥80% is done and the host only finishes and
hands over courses one at a time.

### Step 6 — Service & ritual (what makes it feel like omakase)

Give the host the rhythm, not just the food:
- Serve **one course at a time**, clear before the next — sequence is the point.
- **Announce each course** in one line (name + origin + how to eat it):
  "这是青甘,鰤鱼的一种,蘸一点点酱油直接吃." Pull the one-liners from
  `references/fish-guide.md`.
- Warm light, a drink pairing (清酒 / 麦茶 / 气泡水), a cleared counter as the
  "吧台." Provide technique fixes from `references/technique.md` if the user hits
  醋饭 / 握 / 炙烤 problems.

### Step 7 — QA loop before delivering the plan (assume-failure)

Before handing the final plan to the user, re-read it as a skeptical first-timer
and check:
- [ ] Every raw-fish course carries the sashimi-grade + cold-chain rule?
- [ ] Shopping list quantities match headcount and every course's ingredients
      appear on it (especially rice + 寿司醋 + wasabi + soy)?
- [ ] Prep timeline leaves only slicing/assembly/à-la-minute at service?
- [ ] No fish recommended that the user's city likely can't source? (If unsure,
      offer a substitute.)
- [ ] Beginner not handed a course count or technique they can't execute?

Fix anything that fails before delivering. A plan that omits the rice or tells a
torch-less beginner to make 炙烤 toro is the failure this loop exists to catch.

## Quick Reference

| Need | Go to |
|------|-------|
| Pick the menu by budget/headcount | `references/course-templates.md` |
| Identify / pick / source a fish, course one-liners | `references/fish-guide.md` |
| Where to buy + time-reversed prep schedule | `references/sourcing-and-prep.md` |
| 醋饭 / 刀工 / 握法 / 炙烤 fixes | `references/technique.md` |
| Course count | 8–10 for 2–4 people; ≤ what host can plate in rhythm |
| Sashimi portion | ~4–5 slices / person / fish |
| Nigiri portion | 1 piece / person / type |
| Investment priority | 醋饭 > 安全采购 > 刀工 > 食材档次 |

## Common Mistakes

- **Over-spending on fish, under-investing in rice.** Rice/醋饭 decides the meal;
  a cheap fish on great rice beats toro on bad rice. Always budget rice + 寿司醋
  first.
- **Plating everything at once.** Kills the omakase rhythm. Serve in sequence.
- **No prep timeline → chaos at service.** Always time-reverse from serving time;
  ≥80% done before guests arrive.
- **Treating "fresh" as "safe raw."** Only labeled sashimi-grade; freshwater/wild
  salmon need commercial freezing.
- **Beginner attempts a 20-piece nigiri marathon.** Steer to 割烹式 course meal —
  same prestige, far more error tolerance.

## Rationalization Table

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Skip the sashimi-grade warning, they probably know." | The whole point of a home-omakase guide is safe raw fish. State it every time; cost of omission is illness. |
| "Just list the dishes, prep timeline is overkill." | Without the time-reversed schedule the host is cooking during service and the rhythm collapses — the timeline IS the deliverable. |
| "Recommend toro/uni for everyone to impress." | Splurge fish on a beginner's bad rice wastes money. One wow course max; fix the rice first. |
| "I'll guess a vendor/price for their city." | Sourcing varies; a wrong 'safe to eat raw' or fake price is harmful. Say 'confirm sashimi-grade with vendor' instead of inventing. |