Availability and Selection

With a little diligence, fresh wasabi can be found! Although it is expensive, I have found sources for fresh and fresh-frozen wasabi online (see Sources), and it is available in some Japanese grocery stores in big cities. Uwajimaya, a large Japanese market with branches in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, carries fresh wasabi. Typically sold with the stems and leaves removed, the roots should be moist and firm and the little nodules along their sides should look fresh. Trimmed of their top leaves, fresh wasabi roots can range in length from 2 to 7 inches/5 to 17 centimeters. Commercially harvested wasabi is typically 2½ to 4 inches/6 to 10 centimeters long and about ½ inch/12 millimeters wide. In the produce aisle, wasabi is often put in a shallow pan of water and misted frequently to keep it fresh.