Fish
Firefly squid (Hotaru ika)
Regular squid (ika) are embraced with mild enthusiasm and the giants elicit fear but from March to June, these beautiful creatures flash their mesmerizing neon shimmer along the shoreline of Toyama bay and gourmands get very excited . These bioluminescent cephalopods are a marvel of nature if the conditions are right and you are lucky […]
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Tsukiji market
In the preface to his tour de force, Tsukiji-the fish market at the center of the world, Theodore C Bestor writes “It is a modern market with an enormous volume of trade and venerable history dating from the early seventeenth century. Tsukiji is closely attuned to the subtleties of Japanese food culture and to the […]
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Japanese sea bass(Suzuki )
Wild sea bass in all of its splendor … Thought mainly as a summer fish, the Japanese sea bass is also caught in winter time in various waters including Shizuoka with a different flavor and fat content. The specimen I have here is line caught and they have also been available farmed for about 25 […]
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Smelt (shishamo)
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 […]
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Pacific saury (sanma)
It’s amusing that these beauties are often exported to the U.K. Where they are used as fishing bait. They are revered in Japan as a delicious entry into autumn and have many festivals celebrating the start of the season such as this one in Tokyo I visited.http://www.gotokyo.org/en/kanko/meguro/event/meguro_sunma.html Thousands visited the Meguro sanma matsuri with eager […]
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Sea eel /conger eel (anago)
Sea eel, unlike its fatty, rich tasting freshwater brother Unagi, anago is very lean with a delicate mineral flutter and engaging textural contrast which varies by cut. It is tasty done in the usual simmered sushi style but in that case i will always go for the juicy unagi instead. If you can get it […]
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Yellowtail(buri)
Japanese amber jack as they are also known will be mostly farmed and sometimes wild. Your fishmonger will let you know if Its a concern but both are equally delicious especially in the colder months when they put on a few pounds. Stewing, grilling,pan-searing, smoking and of course raw in sashimi are all excellent ways […]
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Japanese Horse mackerel (Aji)
My local fishmonger recommended these Japanese horse mackerel from real close-by around Miura peninsula and when this old boy makes a recommendation, you listen and engage immediately. If you are buying fish anywhere in the world, just like you would with meat and your butcher(and hopefully one day vegetable farmer at the produce section […]
Continue ReadingSea bream (madai/tai)
Sea bream, similar to snapper, is revered in Japan as an important celebratory/festive choice as it is both red(ish skinned) which is a colour of fortune and its homophone connection with the word Medetai which means joyful/optimistic. It is a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids with a balanced, elegant flavour and […]
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