Tag Archives: sushi

Bakagai, 美食, 観光, 魚海の幸, 貝類, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kobashira, Shellfish, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Jaoanese Shellfish Species 9: Round Clam-Hen Clam/Bakagai

March 26, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

AOYAGI-1

“Bakagai”, or Round clam/Hen Clam in English, is found mainly in the Central part of Honshu Island.

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Actually, you have a good chance to discover them at low tide all over Japan.

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It is a versatile shellfish as it provides for two distinct morsels:

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The “Tongue” called “Aoyagi”. It is very popular in Japan for its colour and sweetness. It is both eaten as Sashimi and…

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Sushi as nigiri.

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The second morsel, one of two muscle parts is called “Kobashira/Small pillar”.
Sushi chefs will keep them until they have enough to serve as sashimi or even better as suhi as gunkan!

Make sure to order either “Aoyagi” or “Kobashira” unless you want to start a long conversation by ordering “Bakagai”! esecially considering that “baka” in japanese means “Idiot”!

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-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
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-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

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Japanese Shellfish 8: Pen Shell-Tairagi-玉珧

March 25, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

TAIRAGI-4

Pen Shells or Tairagi (玉珧-Atrina pectinata) in Japanese are usually sold in winter but tend to still appear in Spring in Shizuoka.

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Also called Tairagai, it was very common not so long ago when the domestic catch amounted to 13,395 tonnes in 1976 to suddenly fall to a mere 134 tonnes in 1994!
It disappeared from the Tokyo Bay and is presently mainly caught in the Inner Japanese Sea between Shikoku and Honshu Islands.

It has become expensive these days and when you realize there is not so much to eat for such a big shell, one can understand it is fast becoming a rare morsel.

Some great Japanese chefs are keen to introduce it in Western gastronomy as shown above by Chef Kensuke Sakata!

It is particularly delicious as sashimi or salt-grilled and is very similar to scallops, although distinctly different in shape.
Naturally it is most popular served as sushi nigiri!

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Japanese Shellfish 7: Clam-Hamaguri-蛤

March 24, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

HAMAGURI-SUSHI2

Clams come in many varieties in Japan.
They are either called Common Orient Clams or Hard Clams, whatever their mode of cooking.

HAMAGURI-JAPANESE

Japanese Clam Variety

In 1993, Japan produced 29,000 tonnes before suffering a steep decline down to only 1,500 tonnes in 2000.
Since then imported clams are 15 times the domestic production.
Main importers to Japan are:

HAMAGURI-CHINA

China (see variety above): 20,100 tonnes

HAMAGURI-NORTH-KOREA

North Korea (see variety above): 3,33 tonnes

A great part of both Chinese and North Korean varieties are imported young and “re-planted” on Japanese beaches to be sold as Japanese varieties!

80 percent of all clams are sold over the counter at supermarkets while 20 percent are proceesed by canneries.

Clams, like everywhere in the world, are cooked/prepared in may ways in Japan:

HAMAGURI-NI

Ni-Hamaguri/simmered clams served in broth with vegetables, tofu and chopped thin leeks.

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Chirashizushi/”Decoration Sushi”, very popular in Japanese homes!

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But my favourite is Ni-Hamaguri Sushi!
The clams, large variety only, are first slowly simmered into broth, then drained and cooled before being served brushed with a sweet “tare” sauce. Sublime!

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Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India
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Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

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Japanese Shellfish 6: Turbo Shells-Sazae-栄螺

March 24, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

SAZAE-1 SAZAE-2
Japanese turbo shells with and without “spikes”

Turbo shells, also called Horned Turban, are common all over the world, but are not eaten everywhere. Called Sazae or Sadae in Japan, they are at their best in Winter and Spring.
About 10,000 tonnes are consumed every year.

SAZAE-KOREA

Korean turbo shells are also found in markets.

The Japanese consider that the best specimen should have a comparatively thin shell and well-pointed “head horn”.
They should not emit any noise when lightly shaken.
They should be avoided in hot weather as they tend to spoil quickly.

SAZAE-3 SAZAE-4

They can be enjoyed grilled with soy sauce.
As sushi,they can be served as nigiri either raw or cooked.
Large specimen’s livers are served raw as “gunkan”!

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Japanese Shellfish 5: Geoduck-Mirugai-海松貝

March 22, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

MIRUKUI-1

We are just in season for Mirugai or Gaper Shellfish.
Known under many names including Mirugai, Mirukui, Mirukuigai, Mirukugai, Guidakku, Umitake or Atlantic Miru, it is a bit grotesque with its vent protruding endlessly. Its common English names are Pacfic Gaper, Geoduck or Trough Sheel.
In Japan it is collected mainly in the sea between Shikoku and Honshu islands.

MIRUKUI-2

It can be either dark brown or completely whitish beige.
When consumed as sushi or sashimi, the dark skin is taken off.
It is widely consumed in this country and more are imported from Canada, and Korea. There is practically no difference in taste or quality whatever its origin.

A real monster!
But plenty to eat!

As sashimi!

As nigiri sushi!

For sushi lovers with a big appetite!

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Japanese Shellfish Species 4: Heart Clam-Torigai-鳥貝

March 22, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

“Torigai/鳥貝” has many names in English: Heart Clam, Surf Clam, Japanese Cockle. In Japanese it is called “Bird Shell”!
They appear on the market in Spring and earlier in Shizuoka Prefecture. They are mainly found in Tokyo Bay, Ise bay and Seto Inner Sea. Some are imported from Korea, but catches can wildly vary, especially with the occurence of “red tides”. A lot are imported from Aichi Prefecture to Shizuoka.

TORIGAI-SHELL

They must be absolutely fresh to be consumed.
One easy way to check if they are still fresh is to slam them on the wooden board. They should immediately retract, even if cut out. They are at their cheapest between March and May.

Torigai in its natural element

Torigai Ngiri sushi!

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Japanese Shellfish Species 3: Oysters-kaki-牡蠣

March 21, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

Oysters! One would be hard put to find a produce from the sea more internationally recognized as a gourmet’s choice! Moreover, it is the only shellfish you could survive on if you got marrooned on a desert island! It is a complete food in irself if consumed raw.
For a long time (that is before coming to Japan), I had thought that my country, France, was the place to eat them. Well, I must admit it was a little pretentious from me, especially in the light that more than half of the oysters consumed back at home originated from Japan!

Now the Japanese has come with many ways of appreciating them:

As in the picture above they would eat them as sashimi with a dash of wasabi and soy sauce.

-Or just a little lemon juice as in Euope, Americas or Oceania.

-Or in another Japanese fashion, with ponzu and momijioroshi (succulent!)

-Or, and here Japanese and foreigners are simply crazy about them, as “kakifrai”, deep-fried oysters in batter and breadcrumbs with a nice tartare sauce!

-Or finally, and I would recommend the experience to all foreigners, as “kaki-gohan”, either with oysters steamed together with the rice, or cooked apart in light broth poured over a bowl of freshly steamed rice!

Of course, any good sushi restaurants will serve oysters as nigiri or gunkan!

In Japan, oysters come from various areas, mainly Hiroshima, Iwate and so on.
As for Shizuoka Prefecture, oysters mainly come from Hamanako inland salted lake near Hamamatsu City.

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Japanese Shellfish Species 2: Scallops-Hotategai-帆立貝

March 20, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Hotategai/帆立貝, or Scallops, is another worldwide favourite and also a source of dispute caused by illegal poaching, international or domestic.
The season is summer and the shellfish is sometimes called Akitagai/秋田貝, as of Akita Prefecture.
They are caught off Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures.
The domestic production/catch is over 300.000 tonnes a year, while 400 tonnes are imported from China as whole Scallops and 700 tonnes as the muscle part only (“kaibashira/貝柱”). Japanese scallops will be significantly larger than the Chinese.

Of course, they are much appreciated as sashimi, but also as sushi:
HOTATENIGIRI

(pic taken at Sushi Ko in Shizuoka City)

They are also much appreciated cooked/grilled in the shell with just a little shoyu and sake:
HOTAGE-GRILLED

Actually, a good-class sushi restaurant will serve the muscle part as sashimi or sushi, and will serve the rest of the shellfish cooked in light broth inside the shell later!

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Japanese Shellfish Species 1: Abalone-Awabi-鮑

March 19, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

AWABI-KURO-2
Kuro Awabi/”Black Abalone

With the weather definitely turning hotter, the first abalones or “awabi” start appearing on the markets.
The Japanese are great connoisseurs and amateurs of abalones, and they do have to import a lot to satisfy their demand!
There are many varieties of different quality avalaible in the markets and restaurants.
Most are eaten raw, especially as sushi on nigiri!

AWABI-KURO-1
Kuro Awabi/”Black Abalone”

As for the main varieties, you can sample expensive Kuro Awabi or “Black Abalones”

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Another expensive variety is Ezo Awabi/”Ezo Abalone”

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Ezo Awabi as sushi.

Lesser varieties include:

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Madaka Awabi

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Madaka Awabi as sushi

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Megai Awabi

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Megai Awabi as sushi.

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Victoria Awabi imported from Australia.

AWABI-VICTORIA-2

Victoria Awabi as sushi.

Do not forget that catching abalones in any place in Japan without a proper license is a severly punished poaching offense!

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Japanese Gastronomy: Sushi & Sashimi – Eat Local!

March 18, 2012 dragonlife 6 Comments

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Saurel pike/Aji from Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture

Very few people will disagree with the notion that Japan is the ideal place to discover and savour sushi and sashimi in the whole world. Nevertheless, there are a few rules of the thumb to respect, even in this gastronomic paradise.
The overriding rule is that you should try and eat only local fish or seafood.
Tsukiji might be considered a sushi paradise by Tokyoites (it has or will be moved to another location), but the cheap prices enjoyed by tourists cannot conceal the reality: the fish and seafood are “imported” from all over Japan and beyond!
More than often, Edomae (Tokyo) sushi is nothing but a clever way to “dress up” ingredients to lure officionados (and customers) into believing they are eating top quality sushi (with the consequent prices).
Now, if you have the chance and time to explore Japan beyond Tokyo, you will discover an unfathomable treasure trove of gastronomic pleasure and knowledge!
After all, this country is a vast archipelago stretched across greatly different seas and climates, making for a diversity difficult to equal.
So, even if you cannot possibly explore all the shores of this nation, make a point to learn about the food available wherever you choose to stay.
The same goes for residents, not only for their own sake, but for that of their visitors and friends!

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Sushi set with fish all caught in Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture

You also ought to do some homework. Sushi chefs worthy of their salt will be only too happy to answer questions to genuinely interested customers and come up with revelations of their own.
As an example to illustrate the need for some basic knowledge, in Hokkaido “oyakodon” (“parent and child”) is not cooked chicken and omelette on a bowl of rice, but raw salmon and its roe spread on top the same bowl of rice!
Likewise, the same fish will more than often be sold under a myriad of names.
Many morsels will not be found anywhere else suc as “sakura ebi/cherry shrimps” and fresh”shirasu/sardine whiting” in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Sashimi in most cases has to be perfectly fresh as typified by “kubiore saba” in Yakushima Island where fishermen break the neck (“kubiore”) of mackerels (“saba”) to preserve their quality upon catching. The same fish will be served within a few hours, or less, on the local tables.
On the other hand, tuna sashimi is best consumed first thawed and then ripened for a few days in a refrigerator.
In Hokkaido, large shrimps, especially “botan ebi” will be served only raw, whereas “kuruma ebi” will be first boiled in other regions.

If you ask for “tataki”, make sure it means the whole fish, especially “aji/mackerel pike” that will be served finely cut as tartare atop the dressed fish. And if the fish is really fresh such small and medium fish will have their bones and heads served deep-fried for a beautiful crispy snack!

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Flying Fish/Tobiuo sashimi from Yakushima Island

On the other hand, sushi follows different rules.
Fish and seafood placed on “donburi” (bowl) are usually of the freshly brought variety but fish served as nigiri is prepared in a different way.
The greatest sushi (and this cannot be done in Tsukiji!) are made with fish which has been gutted and cleaned live within seconds, then dressed into strips/fillets left to mature in a refrigerator on clean cloth/kitchen paper. This can be done only with fish caught locally!
The same obviously goes with shellfish and other marine ceatures: One cannot sample better “uni/sea urchin” away from Hokkaido or sakura ebi from Shizuoka.

Vegan and vegetarians, upon finding a restaurant willing to satisfy their priorities should also ask for food grown locally, a search easier than one might think at first as there are many non-meat eaters in this mainly Buddhist country.
The same vegetables will make for the perfect combination when associated with local fish!

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Japanese Gastronomy: Steamed Sushi-Recipe

March 12, 2012 dragonlife 6 Comments

A foodie friend of mine, was just mentioning she could not wait to come to Japan to eat sushi, as it was just frustrating and terribly expensive in her own country.
Well, why not making it yourself, then?
“It’s too difficult and one cannot get the ingredients!”
Really? There must be enough stores all over the world by now which sell the basics. So why don’t you try this simple recipe for a start!

Steamed sushi!

INGREDIENTS: For 3~ people

-Rice: 3 cups/600 cc

Sushi vinegar:
-Rice vinegar: 3 tablespoons
-Sugar: just under 3 tablespoons
-Salt: 1 teaspoon

-Conger eels (anago/穴子): 3 (can be bought frozen)
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Mirin/Japanese sweet sake: 2 tablespoons

-Dried shiitake mushrooms: 3~4 (medium-sized)
-Dashi/Japanese soup stock: 1 cup/200 cc/ml
-Sugar: 1 tablespoon
-Soy sauce:1 tablespoon

-Trefoil or Italian Parsley: 1 bunch

-Eggs: 5
-Sugar: 1 teaspoon
-Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

-Amazu jinja/ginger marinated in sweet vinegar: as appropriate for decoration/seasoning

RECIPE:

-Wash rice and steam in the normal way

-Unless you can buy the conger eels already cooked and seasoned, cut their heads and tail, cut in half lengthwise and across again into one-bite sized pieces. Fry slowly with soy sauce and mirin/sweet sake until cooked and well-impregnated with seasoning sauce. Set apart.

-In a pan pour the dashi/Japanese soup stock. Add the dried shiitake and stew until the mushrooms have become soft. Add the sugar and soy sauce. Keep simmering until all liquid has disappeared. Let cool. Cut into fine slices. Set apart.

-Drop the trefoil in hot salted water for a few seconds. Drain well and cut into 2 cm long pieces.

-Make a thin omelette with the eggs beaten with sugar and salt. Cut into thin threads.

-Once the rice has been steamed, transfer it into a large vessel (wooden preferably, but a large ceramic dish will do). add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt evenly over it. Mix by “cutting in” the rice with a wet paddle. Add conger eels and their juices, shiitake mushrooms and mix lightly.

-Place an equal amount of the rice into bowls and steam (with a lid on) for 15 minutes over a strong fire. Open the lid, place an equal amount of egg ribbons and steam again for 1 more minute.

-Serve topped with trefoil and sweet vinegar marinated ginger!

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Gastronomic Dilemma: Can a vegetarian and an omnivore strike a durable relation?

March 3, 2012 dragonlife 7 Comments

SUSHIK-09-08-31-14
Vegetarian Sushi

Some time ago a friend asked me a thorny question:
“Is my relation with my new vegetarian boyfriend doomed because I’m an omnivore?”

My personal reply would be that there is little reason for her relation to fail. But I sometimes tend to be a bit too simplistic, so I thought this was a good opportunity to delve on an ever growing issue.
I do not pretend to know all the solutions/answers, and I would be honored if anyone could offer her/his opinions on that matter!

I think that the key is to be positive about this gastronomic divergence.
Instead of considering it a matter of contention, it should be taken as a chance to expand one’s horizons.
I know of many vegans who cook for their omnivore halves. The opposite should hold true.
As long as it is not a religious issue (I’m agnostic), I see it as a source of daily joy and contentment.

I also see it as household cooperation.
If you decide to live together, why not have one take care of all the food (and washing the dishes!), and the other take care of all the house chores regardless of his/her gender? You can’t start to imagine how much time you would have left to enjoy each other’s company!

KUSHIYAKI-YASAI-1

Yasai Kushiyaki/Vegetables brochettes.

Having two different culinary priorities can become a lot of fun at parties:
You’re planning a BBQ? No problem!
Prepare two plates/grills over the same fire.
Hamburgers: meat ones on one side, tofu vegetables patties on the other one.
Yakitori/brochettes: meat ones one side, yasai kushiyaki/vegetables brochettes on the other.
Even vegetarian sausages exist!
You can always have two sets of sauces to make everyone happy!
And so on!
Even if your vegetarian half is strict, eating no eggs should not be much of a hindrance.
Use your imagination and ask around!
Tempura can be made without the egg white for example (use cornstarch)!

You are going to a restaurant?
In this case, try to find a restaurant which serves both cuisines.
Any good restaurant should be willing and able to tackle the challenge.
After all, one should go to a restaurant to learn and enjoy food. If you can make it at home, go to the market and spend a bit more money of your food. Remember that the more you pay on good food, the less you will pay a doctor!

As for restaurants, in my own city, Shizuoka, I know at least two French, one Italian, one Japanese, two izakaya and one sushi restaurant capable of devising a vegetarian meal in a pinch. And of course I do not include the vegetarian cuisine par excellence that Indian gastronomy is!
Even if you live in meat-eating Texas, there should not be a problem!

Do not forget that as an omnivore (which I am), you will have one day to reduce your meat consumption and eat more vegetables to hold in check your cholesterol, fat and blood pressure (come to Japan! LOL), whereas vegetarians will need to limit their sugar intake with all those cakes.

Great team work, no?

Looking forward to debating this (very tasty) issue!

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Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London
Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

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Crustaceans, 甘エビ, 美食, 酒, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sashimi, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, sushi, Tourism

Sushi: Kawahagi-Filefish Sashimi & Sushi at Sushi Ko in Shizuoka City!

March 2, 2012 dragonlife 8 Comments

Service: Very friendly and always accommodating
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Superb washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Great use of local seafood. Will try hard to accommodate any requests!

Kawahagi, or Filefish or Leather jacket in the Land of Oz, must be one of the most underrated fish in the World!
Some people go as far as to say that penny for penny it is worth more than overpriced globefish/fugu!

As we sat at Sushi Ko, our favorite Sushi Restaurant in Shizuoka City we noticed “Kawahagi Tsukuri”/カワハギ造り/Filefish sashimi Plate written on the small board featuring the “specials” of the day!

The live filefish taken out of the tank by the chef!
The fish had been caught off Sagara in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Sushi Ko has a great list of local sake, but I had to order one from Masu Ichi Brewery in Shizuoka City as this might well be the last bottle as the brewery closed down following the untimely death of its owner/master brewer. An incredible loss for the Shizuoka Sake World!

Tuna Tartare as the snack for the first drink!

The filefish sashimi plate!

You roll the fine slices of filefish around some thin leeks before dipping it in its sauce!

The dip sauce!
It was made with the fresh raw liver of the filefish finely chopped and mixed with ponzu!
A true delicacy!

The chef had kept apart a little sashimi and liver for two more morsels!

A nigiri with chopped thin leeks under the fish topped with its liver!

A gunkan/”mother ship” with the sashimi topped with its liver and chopped thin leeks!

And the deep-fried jowls of the fish you eat with your fingers (that you lick later!) to cap it all!
Have I convinced you to look for that fish next time you see it on a market?

“Pon kara maguro”/deep-fried tuna cubes with grated daikon seasoned with chili pepper!

Of course the filefish was only the beginning of our dinner.
So for the record here we go including the above picture!

Maguro Zuke/Marinated lean part of tuna!

Hotate/Scallops!

Amaebi/Sweet shrimps!
(sorry for the fuzzy pic, as my mind was getting a bit fuzzy with all the sake!)

Geso karaage/Deep-fried squid tentacles!

The same, to eat with your fingers!

Ankimo/Frogfish liver or “Japanese foie gras”!

Anago to kyuri maki/Broiled Conger eel and cucumber roll!

Ika shiso to mentaiko maki/Squid, perilla leaf and cod roe pickled in chili pepper roll!

Shirako yaki/Baked cod sperm sacs!

Rainbow California Roll!

Containing: avocado, tamagoyaki/Japanese omelet, salmon, salmon roe, prawn, cucumber and akami/lean tuna! Seven of them of course!

Kanpyou maki, the roll for the vegetarians and vegans!
Kanpyou is made with the shavings of a gourd, first dried and then marinated in sweet sauce!

Asari miso shiru/Miso soup with cockles!

To be continued…

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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Sushi Set in a Shizuoka City Supermarket!

December 18, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

There is this kind of quaint rivalry between Tokyo and the rest of Japan when it comes to gastronomy, a situation which is fueled by some famous/notorious guides of international repute/disrepute for obvious financial reasons.
How many times was I told almost brutally by other expats living the grand life of Tokyo that nothing compares with the metropolis when it comes to gastronomy…
Admittedly some regions of Japan are grudgingly granted some kind of recognition, i.e. Kyoto, Hokkaido, etc. under the leadership of the media cited above, but for the rest….
The case of Shizuoka is particularly acute. Tokyo expats (not all, mind ou!) go as far as considering Izu Peninsula and Mount Fuji as their own back gardens!
The situation is purposefully exacerbated by most famous restaurants in the Capital who certainly do not wish people at large to know too much about Shizuoka Prefecture for the simple reason that many of them wouldn’t exist without the myriads of vegetables, meat and fish varieties produced here.
Just visit a supermarket in Shizuoka City and you will understand my meaning! Actually, I stopped completely eating in Tokyo! My money is better spent looking for the hidden treasures of faraway Prefectures.
Enough complaining, and just allow me to show you an example to illustrate this topic:
As the Missus was working today I was responsible for the shopping.

This is what I found at the nearby Shizutetsu Supermarket: a sushi set prepared by Uogashi Company (they have a branch in Yokohama), a fish and sushi company located in Numazu City, in the Eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture.

The price: 980 yen! Less than 10 Euros or 13 US $!

And all the ingredients are clearly indicated!
Actually, you could buy in lieu of a bento box!
All the fish comes from nearby seas!

Now, what do we have?

From top to bottom, left to right:
Maguro & maguro akami/鮪赤身/tuna lean part. Not the bluefin tuna, but most probably mebachi maguro/目鉢鮪/big eye tuna.
Ika/烏賊/Cuttlefish, most probably surume ika/鯣烏賊/Japanese flying squid.
Shiradai (also called Shirodai)/白鯛/”White seabream” (Gymnocranius euanus Günther).
Sanma/秋刀魚/Pacific saury topped with chopped leek.
Tachiuo/太刀魚/Scabbard fish or largehead hairtail.

From top to bottom, left to right:
Ika/烏賊/Cuttlefish, most probably surme ika/鯣烏賊/Japanese flying squid.
Suzuki/鱸/Japanese seabass/seeperch.
Tamagoyaki/玉焼き/Japanese omelette.
Tachiuo/太刀魚/Scabbard fish or largehead hairtail.
Shirasu gunkan/シラス軍艦/A gunkan style sushi topped with raw sardine whitebait seasoned with chopped leek and ginger.
Sakuraebi Gunkan/桜海老軍艦/Cherry Shrimps seasoned with grated ginger.
You will not find the last two in Tokyo except in ridiculously priced exclusive restaurants!
Soy sauce and grated wasabi.

You will not find such a set at that kind of low price (if you are lucky enough to discover them fresh) for such variety and quality in Tokyo!

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Sushi Restaurants: Shizuoka Seafood at Sushi Ko (December 2011)

December 11, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Pro and very friendly
Facilities: Very clean. Excellent toilets
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Great variety of seafood from Shizuoka Prefecture and the rest of Japan. Great list of sake!

December has seen the cold weather settle in at long last!
This is good news for sushi lovers as a marked change of weather means new seafood varieties coming in!
Naturally, we visited our favorite sushi restaurant in Shizuoka, namely Sushi Ko in Aoba Koen Street!
Here is what we enjoyed!

Snack coming with the first drink: Kanpachi aburi/環八炙り, seared Amberjack.

No need to say that sake was on order: Masu Ichi Brewery from Shizuoka City!

Little beauties from Shizuoka and Akita Prefectures!

Sakura ebi/桜海老/Cherry shrimps from Yui!

Shirauo/白魚/Icefish from Akita Prefecture!

Hirame/平目/Flafish sashimi from Suruga Bay!

Seguro Iwashi/背黒鰯/”Black back” Sardine sashimi from Suruga Bay!

Buri/鰤/Yellowtail chu toro and toro sashimi from Ishikawa Prefecture!

It’s not all raw fish at Sushi Ko!
Among their cooked specialties we have a special fondness for their Ponkara Maguro/ポンカラ鮪/Deep-fried tuna cubes served with momijioroshi/紅葉下ろし/grated daikon with chili pepper!

Kampachi Tataki/環八タタキ/Amberjack filets that have been seared well before being plunged into cold water and later served as sashimi.

Sushi Ko’s specialty: Sushi Millefeuille!

I cannot visit a sushi restaurant without asking for Maguro Zuke/鮪漬け”/marinated tuna akami/lean part

Comfort dishes for a cold winter: Hotate guratan/帆立グラタン/Scallops Gratin!

Chawanmushi/茶碗蒸し/Japanese hot salted pudding!

Geso karaage/ゲソ唐揚げ/Deep-fried squid tentacles!

Back to raw food! Hotate nigiri/帆立握り?Scallops nigiri!

Ama ebi/甘海老/Sweet Shrimps

Sushi for vegetarians: Yama Imo Gunkan/山芋軍艦!

A universal favorite: Piri kara hotate kariforunya roru/ピリ辛帆立カリフォルニアロル/Hot scallops California Roll!

Tamagoyaki/玉子焼き/Japanese omelette for dessert!

And kinoko miso siru/キノコ味噌汁/miso soup with mushrooms, and plenty of seaweed, to wash it all down!

To be continued…

SUSHI KO
420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Park Street)
Tel.: 054-251-9701
Business Hours： 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (in Japanese)
Smoking allowed. Private room can be arranged for non-smoking (4 people)

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