Americans have a growing appetite for sushi; it’s a $27.5 billion industry in the U.S., with nearly 24% growth projected this year. Yet plenty of us won’t touch the stuff; according to one survey, more than half of Americans have never tried sushi.

New Jersey is home to scores of sushi restaurants, from Newton to North Cape May. We’ve never done a list or ranking of the state’s best sushi restaurants, so now’s as good a time as any. Us food writers roamed the state in search of the best sushi, sashimi and rolls, a mission that was fantastically fishy, in a good way.