Japanese Seasonal Fish: Noresore/Conger Eel Whitebait


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“Noresore” will soon appear at some select fish markets, and as it will be a very short season, you will have to keep your eyes open!
Noresore stands for very young conger eels. They are called different names depending on regions: “Berada” in Okayama Prefecture, “Tachikurage” in Misaki, “Nagatankurage” in Wakayama Prefecture
In Shizuoka, they mainly come from Hamana Lake, a seawater lake west of the Prefecture, famous for its oysters, eels and clams.

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5~6cm long, they are practically transparent, save for their eyes. They emit no smell. In our Prefecture they are available only during the first two weeks of March. They are slowly but surely becoming a rarity wherever in Japan, and people come from afar just for the experience!

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Before serving them, lightly wash them in clean salted water.
As sushi, put them on top of “gunkan”, or a rice ball if you are an expert, with freshly grated ginger and chopped thin leeks.
I like them best served as they are with a little “ponzu or “yuzu” vinegar, a dash of “momijioroshi” (freshly grated daikon and chili pepper) and some chopped thin leeks for a last touch of colour!

3 thoughts on “Japanese Seasonal Fish: Noresore/Conger Eel Whitebait”

  1. oh my goshhhh.. they are so beautiful! Just like creatures from dark bottomless sea… you know, all white and transparent since no sunlight never reaches there~ amazing… reminded me of my favourite Gerago shrimps aka krills in my island..:-D Oh, gorgeous pictures too.. really made the tiny eels looked so exotic ne… 2 thumbs up!

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