Tag Archives: Japanese Appetizer

Japanese Seasonal Fish: Tachiuo/Scabbard Fish

January 30, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

Scabbard Fish or “Tachiuo” is a summer fish very popular in Japan in spite of its great length.
Tachiuo in Japanese, 太刀魚, means “Great Sword Fish”, not the scabbard!
The Suruga Bay being warmer than the rest of Japan, we have scabbard fish in the dead of winter.
Like other fish it owns other names: Tachi (not in Hokkaido, where the word means ” Cod sperm sacs”!), Shirada and Tachinouo.
It is mainly caught off Wakayama, Ehime and Oita Prefectures.
In Shizuoka it is both caught by line or net.
In 1999, 37,000 tonnes were caught in the whole of Japan, but it fell to 23,000 tonnes in 2000.
It is also imported from Korea and China, although the fish is slightly different from the Japanese variety. More than half of imported fish are eaten west of Kansai.

Scabbard Fish Sashimi Plate

Tachiuo is bot popular raw and cooked.
Raw, it is usually served with ponzu instead of soy suce and topped with momijioroshi/grated daikon mixed with chili pepper.

Raw, it is of course popular as sushi nigiri,

cut into fine strips and served as gunkan.

As sashimi I personally prefer it “aburi” (slightly grilled) with a dash of ponzu and some momijioroshi (grated daikon with chili pepper), or with some finely cut vegetables.

The same applies for sushi nigiri as I like my scabbard fish a little grilled first.

Making incisions into the fish before grilling it will make for another prsentation!

It does not have to be complicated to be yummy!

In the Kansai/western Japan region it is very popular in oshizushi/pressed sushi thanks to its flat and long shape.

How about a combination of both raw and aburi style sushi nigiri?

How about an Italian-style sushi nigiri?

As for the cooked scabbard fish, grilling is the most commoon way here in Japan where it is served as simple and healthy food at many meals.

Sauteed with colourful vegetables (okra) make for great presentation in spite of the simplicity of the dish!

Deep-frying is also very popular especially with its bones when it is very fresh. Such deep-fried bones make for one vital source of calcium for the Japanese.

Fried scabbard fish salad.

Cooked, it is a very versatile fish and easy to prepare!

Grilled with lemon!

Cooked with chili peppers and miso paste, it makes for an intriguing sweet and hot combination!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Bora/Mullet

January 26, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

There are at least 12 recognized kinds of mullet being caught all over the world.
The flathead mullet in particular is an important food fish for many around the world, and can be both fished and farmed. The roe of this mullet is salted, dried, and compressed to make a specialty food across the world, such as Korean myeongran jeot, Japanese karasumi, Italian botargo, and Egyptian batarekh . In Egypt, the fish itself is salted, dried, and pickled to make feseekh.

Flathead Mullet, Mugil Cephalus in Latin, or Bora/鯔/鰡 in Japanese will reach length of over 80 cm in Japan, although the average length will more around 50 cm.

It is caught south of Hokkaido near river mouths or in bays receiving lots of river waters.
Like any othe fish, it will be called other names depending upon the region: Isegoi (Western Japan), Itanebora (Ehime Prefecture), Mabora (Hiroshima Prefecture), Tsukura (Okinawa), Kuchime, Mejiro, Hebuna, Haku, Makuchi, Kurome, or Merome.

It is a versatile fish:

Served raw as sashimi in Jpaanese Cuisine or,

as carpaccio in Italian style.

It is more unusual as sushi nigiri (front two) and will probably be found as such only locally.

To answer a query from Luke, it is more encountered cooked:
Deep-fried and served with a soy-based sauce is common to many asian countries.

Deep-fried before being served wit a sweet and saour sauce,

or the same again with tofu is popular in Taiwan (and in Japan!).

First steamed and then served with a sauce made with sweet pickled plum and miso is supposed to be of Chinese origin, but can be found again in many Asians countries.

But for all these recipes, the most valuable (and very expensive at that!) is the roe of the female mullets!

It is served as it is extavagantly in Japanese or Italian cuisine sashimi or carpaccio.

The combinations are infinite!

An extravagant salad of Japanese and Italian inspiration!

Grated over an extragant pasta dish!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Makogarei/Turbot

January 25, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

“Makogarei” or Pleuronectes yokohamae Gunther for the specialists is one of the many kinds of turbot indigeneous to Japan.
You will find it on the markets between June and August.
Depending where you live, you might do well to know its other names: “Aome” (Sendai), “Mushibirama” (Konahama), “Mako” (Tokyo) or “Amakarei” among many.
It is net-caught all around Japan.

It has comparatively a lot of flesh for a turbot, making it a choice morsel for nigiri or sashimi.

It can reach a length of 30 cm. Contrary to many other fish, the size will bear no incidence on the taste, but if you wish for extra taste, avoid female specimen bearing eggs/roe, and if possible, although a bit extravagant, choose a live fish (possible at Parche, Shizuoka JR Station!).
A good sushi or Japanese restaurant will deep-fry the bones and head for you, making for a great snack with great ale!

As a sushi nigiri, it is served as it is, and can be savoured with a little salt and lemon juice only as seasoning.

Many people also ask their sushi nigiri seasoned with tare/sauce.

One more way is to present it as konbujime/marineated in seaweed.

being a large fish, it can be easily manipulated into bo sugata sushi/baton sushi with the rice inside the fish.

Small specimens are appreciated grilled whole with some lemon, soy sauce and grated daikon.

Another popular cuisine is to stew/simmer the whole fish in soy sauce, mirin and sake as ni-zakana.

The sperm sacs/shirako of the male specimens are much appreciated in European-style cuisine!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Katsuo/Bonito

January 19, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Bonito or “katsuo” in Japanese are extensively caught by fishermen from Numazu, Shimizu, Yaizu and Omaezaki Harbours (all Shizuoka Prefecture). The main fishing areas are Shizuoka, Mie, Kochi & Miyazaki Prefectures.
It is also called “katsu” (Tohoku Region), “Honkatsuo” (Kyushu Island), “Magatsuo” (Shikoku and Kyushu Islands. N.B.: the same name designates another fish in other parts of Japan!), “Suji” (Yamaguchi & Wakayam Pref.).
It appears on the markets early Spring~Autumn as “sho gatsuo” (first bonito in Spring) and “modori gatsuo” (return bonito end of Autumn).
They are traditionally line-caught but nets have been used extensively in recent years.

It can be appreciated raw, as sashimi with its skin or without it, preferably served with a saucer of soy sauce (shoyu) mixed with thin slices of fresh garlic, or with wasabi, a touch of lemon and shoyu,

or as nigiri topped with grated fresh ginger a thin slice of garlic, unless you prefer grated fresh ginger with chopped thin leeks.

The same is done with lightly grilled/aburi (or tataki) bonito as sushi nigiri.

Another very popular way to eat it that will please Europeans and North Americans alike, is “tataki”.

The fish is first seared/grilled over charcoal until it is lightly cooked on the whole outside then plunged into iced water to stop it from cooking any longer. It is then cut into large slices and served with freshly chopped garlic and thin leeks, “shiso” leaves (perilla/beefsteak plant) and wasabi.

Note 1: in restaurants specify whether you want the skin or not when ordering sashimi.

Note 2: the same fish is a staple food in Sri Lanka where it is first smoked and then prepared as soup or curry!

It is one of the most versatile fish in Japan.
It can be appreciated in many ways:
As a simple donburi/on a bowl or rice at home (see above picture),

Lightly seared and served as carpaccio,

as bogata sushi/whole fish stuffed with sushi rice,

as oshizushi/pressed sushi,

but my favourite is probably as zuke/marinated in soy sauce, mirin, sake, etc. before being served with a slice of garlic!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Hirame/Olive Flounder, Bastard Halibut, Tonguefish, Sole

January 18, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Hirame/平目

“Hirame” could be translated in many ways depending of your country of origin: Flat Fish, Sole, Ｔurbot (although the latter should define “karei”) and what else. There are many varieties, wild or humanーfed. In Japanese, the names are numerous: Hirame, Shitabirame, Ooguchikarei, Oyanirami, etc.

Actually they can be divided into two main groups:

1)The Olive flounder or Bastard halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus; Japanese: ヒラメ/平目) is a species of large-tooth flounder native to the north-western Pacific Ocean.
It is often referred to as the Japanese flatfish or Korea(n) flatfish (광어) when mentioned in the context of those countries.
It is the most common flatfish species raised in aquaculture in Korea. They are raised in Japan and China as well.

Shitabirame/舌平目

2) Tonguefishes (shitabirame/舌平目in Japanese) are a family, Cynoglossidae, of flatfishes. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their body, which also lacks a pelvic fin.

The best season is Autumn to Winter. They are still available until Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture. Wild ones come from Hokkaido and Aomori. Human-fed ones mainly hail from Oita, Ehime, Mie, and Kagoshima Prefectures.

Hirame Sashimi

The domestic wild catch is around 7600 tonnes a year, while human-fed fish amount to around 7100 tonnes a year. A recent increase has been observed in recent years, though. A lot are imported from Korea through Fukuoka and Shimoseki.
They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, though a few species found in deep sea floors, and a few in rivers.

Hirame can be enjoyed in many ways:
As sashimi, cut in various thickness, according to the chef’s preference and presented artfully.

It can be enjoyed cut in small dices, as tartare, especially shitabirame/tonguefish with tomato and strawberry!

Of course, hiirame is great as sushi nigiri with all kinds of seasoning I prefer it just seasoned with a little lemon juice or yuzu (if available) and salt (preferably “snow salt” from Okinawa!

The Japanese have a fondness for “engawa”, that is the frilled border along the fillets which are usually thrown away in other countries. The texture is different, almost crunchy.

Hirame is great marinated with konbu/seaweed as konbujime/seaweed marinated.

The same konbujime hirame can be served as oshizushi/pressed sushi topped with more seaweed!

An interesting oshizusshi combination is hirame topped with kabu/turnip and seasoned with yuzu juice and zest!

It is also very popular dried as himono/干物, especially shitabirame/tonguefish.

Naturally the Japanese all kinds of hirame cooked in the French way in a simple and succulent manner as above,

or as a beautiful gratin!

Last, but not least, how about grilled hirame with uni/sea urchin sauce?

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Sashimi Plate at Sushi Ko, Shizuoka (’10/01/14)

January 15, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

I wrote this posting separately from the one introducing the vegan sushi plate the Missus and I shared at Sushi Ko, Shizuoka, last night so as not to confuse friends with different culinary priorities!
As I explained in the vegan sushi posting, Sushi Ko might not be the most expensive or sophisticated sushi restaurant in our Prefecture but you get the best food at the best price.
It certainly makes for far better value than some vaunted establishments in Tokyo or New York where you pay ridiculous prices for tiny pieces of art in outrageously expensive surroundings!
Moreover, Mr. Oda is one of those very few true chefs who take pleasure in tackling any challenge thrown at him by customers.
Owning a website of his own and knowing I’m more than amenable with his taking pictures of the food I order, we have this great deal of being offered even better presentation!
When it comes to sashimi, Mr. Oda always makes a point to introduce the seasonal fish of the day on a separate board for all to see, meaning that they will not be always available as contrary to the other possible orders written (with their prices!) on small wooden boards hung on the wall above the counter.

There were too many fish to choose from, but the help of Mr. Oda, we chose the following:

Above: Meji maguro Akami/Lean part.
Bottom: Aori Ika/Bigfin Reef Squid.
Can you see the freshly grated Shizuoka wasabi shaped into a green leaf?

Above: Ooma Honmaguro/Ble Fin Tuna from Ooma in Aomori Prefecture, O-toro
Below: the same, chu-toro.
The chrysanthemum is edible.

Above: Meji maguro o-toro
Below: Kinmeidai/Seabream/Great Alfonsino from Izu Penisula in Shizuoka Prefecture.

No need to say that all sublime morsels!

Sushi Ko
shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho. 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business Hours： 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Seasonal Fish: Noresore/Conger Eel Whitebait

January 14, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

“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 Pref., “Tachikurage” in Misaki, “Nagatankurage” in Wakayama Pref.
In Shizuoka, they mainly come from Hamana Lake, a seawater lake west of the Prefecture, famous for its oysters, eels and clams.

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!

Before serving them, lightly wash them in clean salted water.
They are great 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!

Now as sushi they are sublime as “gunkan”, or a rice ball wrapped in seaweed if you are an expert, with freshly grated ginger and chopped thin leeks again.

They can even been cooked (very quickly!) in garlic olive oil!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Tai-Madai/Seabream

January 13, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

There are many varieties of Seabream/Snappers/Tai/鯛in Japan:
Batodai, Hanadai, Ishidai, Kinmeidai, Mekkidai, etc., but the most popular variety is called Madai/真鯛, or True Seabream.

Even Madai/True Seabream is called different names depending upon the region: Oodai or Hondai.
The best season streches from Winter to Spring.
It is extensively raised by humans in Ehime, Mie and Saga Prefectures.
Wild specimen are mainly caught off the shores of Nagasaki, Fukuok, Kumamoto, and Yamaguchi Prefectures. Not so many Madai are caught in Shizuoka but other varieties are abundant especially around Izu Penisula.

Human-raised amount to over 80,000 tonnes a year wild ones are caught at a rate inferior to 15,000 tonnes a year.
Imports are relatively and account for only about 6.500 tonnes a year.

Madai is widely appreciated raw as sashimi in the Japanese style (above),

in carpaccio, Italian-style sashimi!

The Japanese also ove them grilled or steamed.

The Japanese since immemorial times have preserved the raw fish in rice miso, mirin/sweet sake and konbu/seaweed, but this has become quite an expensive morsel these days!

(Only relatively) lesser varieties, like Kinmedai, are appreciated as Himono/naturally dried fish, a specilaty of Shizuoka Prefecture which produces no less half of all naturally dried fish in Japan! Actually they come almost as expensive!

Konbujime/marinated in seaweed nigiri sushi

As sushi, madai (and other seabreams) are very versatile.
You will encounter them, depending on the region as konbujime/marinated in seaweed (above),

simple, straight nigiri sushi,

oshizushi/pressed sushi,

or zuke/marinated in ponzu, sake, mirin, etc.,

Seabream certainly looks great as temarizushi/Kyoto-style small round sushi nigiri!

Tai Shirako

Like tara/cod, their sperm sacs of the male specimens are highly appreciated and even more expensive than those of cods.

You can have served raw/slightly boiled or grilled as above,

meuniere-style as in French or Italian cuisine,

or on gunkan sushi nigiri!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Tara/Cod

January 10, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Cod, or “Tara/鱈” in Japanese reads a the “Snow Fish”. Unlike in many countries in Europe and North America, the fish is eaten fresh, raw or cooked in Japan, but practically never salted.
Only the Norwegians can boast a difference as they eat the tongue of the fish as soon as they catch it!

As other fish in Japan, it is called different names: Ibodara, Maidara (Toyama Prefecture), Ara (Nagasaki Prefecture) as far as “Madar” or “True Cod” is concerned.
There are other varieties as is shown below in sushi pictures.

It is mainly caught in the Sea of Okhotsk in Winter.
The average total Cod catch is 437,000 tonnes, 55.000 of which is “True Cod”. Imports average annualy 152,000 tonnes mainly from the US and Russia.

Cod sashimi with its male sperm sacs/Shirako

It makes for great sashimi.

But it is also equally appreciated cooked, especially grilled or in “Nabe/Japanese-style pot au feu”.

Gintara/銀鱈 Cod variety as sushi nigiri.

Higetara/髭鱈 Cod variety as sushi nigiri.

Madara/真鱈 Cod as sushi nigiri.

As shown above, many varieties of tara are greatly appreciated as sushi, especially nigiri.

Shirako/白子, or the sperm sacs of the male fish, is an extremely popular delicay in Japan.
It is either served raw or lightly boiled as in above picture with ponzu, chopped leeks and momijioroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper.

Shirako is also very popular served as sushi in gunkan shape as above.

It becomes another delicacy when grilled.
French and Italian Restaurants in Japan also extensively use it sauteed or in gratin!

The roe sacs of the femal fish is also a very popular (and expensive) delicacy especially when preserved in chili pepper (as above) and sold as Mentaiko/明太子!

The same roe is also served as “Tarako/鱈子”, especially in the sushi gunkan form!

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Sashimi Mini-Plate at Tomii (’10/01/09)

January 10, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

This is the second part of my “Quick fix” last night at Tomii.
I posted this article separately as it will also go to my sushi blog page and Sushi Nomads Website.

All the fish served on this “min sashimi plate” are seasonal (as always at Tomii).

Left top: “Honmaguro Akami”, or lean part of bluefin tuna backed with various sprout vegetables.
Right top: “Hirame” or sole on a leaf of shiso/perilla.
Left bottom: “Tai”, or seabream. In thei case “Madai”, or true seabream.
Right bottom: “Aori Ika”, or bigfin reef squid.
The wasabi is naturally freshly grated wasabi from Shizuoka!

TOMII
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-274-0666
Business hours: 17:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Japanese Gastronomy: Zensai/Appetizer at Tomii (’10/01/09)

January 10, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Dining or just “having a snack” in Japan in the right places can easily turn into an intimidating experience.
Last night, suffering from a bout of starvation, my body took me to my favourite Japanese restaurant for a “quick bite”.
People know me well there and don’t really bother to ask me for orders. I just tell them “a little today”, or “plenty today”! That kind of attitude will make my friends think I’ve gone snobbish at last…

Not at all, actually, which means anyone can expect great surprises in this country, even if it concerns a simple appetizer.

That particular plate wich came with the first drink consisted of the following:
From left to right:
“Tazukuri”, or grilled (very) small fish.
“Nishin no Kobumaki”, or herring simmered and rolled into seaweed.
“Sake Nekimitamaki”, or salmon steamed inside fish paste.
“Hoshoumaki”, or crab roll.

For a closer picture of “Nishin no Kobumaki”, “Sake Nekimitamaki”, and “Hoshoumaki”.

For a closer picture ofthe other ingredients:
The “Tazukuri”, or grilled (very) small fish at the back.
“Tsurudaikon”, or daikon coloure in plum water and cut in the shape of a “tsuru”, or Ja@anese crane.
“Tori no terrine”, or a small cube of chicken terrine.
“Fukumame”, or large simmered black bean.

The green is “Na no Hana”, or rape blossom sprinkled with “Karasumi Oroshi”, or grated pickled mullet roe.
The grated wasabi is fresh one from Shizuoka!