Smelt (shishamo)

  Posted on November 15, 2017  by jason toner  No comments

Shishamo are delicious little smelts which are usually grilled or fried and eaten whole. The taste and texture range is dynamic with the crunchy peaks of joyous bones precipitously giving way to the deep buttery delights of roe with addictive twists in between . Wikipedia claims the name is derived from the Ainu name for the same fish which makes sense as the Japanese consider true shishamo to be from hokkaida, although they are bought from elsewhere . I am a fan of the Japanese grilled or fried methods of preparation and would add that both salt baking and butter sautéing also give a beautiful result .