Continuing on from “TRIBUTE to SEAFOOD – 15 Fish Dishes (Archives) Part 6 through 10”
Archives
★Yobuko, Saga & Hirado, Nagasaki
Acquaintances of mine from Saga and Fukuoka grew up knowing about translucent squid, and thus did not show much appreciation for it. They never realized how lucky they were until they come to Tokyo and were forced to grumble, “They don’t have translucent squid in Tokyo, do they?” In Yobuko, you’ll find old women selling live translucent squid at the early morning markets. Speaking of squid delicacies from Yobuko, Saga and the surrounding Genkai Sea, the swordtip squid (or red squid) is the most popular of the squid species. You may know that fall is the best season for swordtip squid, but personally, I prefer the bigfin reef squid that can be eaten year-round. In recent years there have been more restaurants in Tokyo and other large cities where you can eat live transparent squid. I’m usually the first to say that eating regional seafood in Tokyo does not compare to eating them in the regions where they are caught, but I must admit that I sure am thankful when I can eat delicious fish without having to take a train or plane. Furthermore about the swordtip squid, you can catch them in Tokyo Bay using Japanese shrimp-shaped wooden lures called “Egi” that have become popular in the fishing world in recent years. I started up sea fishing as a means of catching fresh mackerel and swordtip squid, but I have yet to catch any swordtip squid.

Budo [Grape] Shrimp
★Yobuko, Saga & Hirado, Nagasaki
Once a year I visit my friend who owns a sake brewery in Hachinohe. Half the reason I go is for the brewery and the staff. The other half is to eat delicious food and drink delicious sake. They have welcomed me with so many countless numbers of delicious things to eat and drink that this city is already beginning to feel like my hometown. In Tokyo there is a shrimp called “budo [grape] shrimp” that probably has almost no distribution, although I sometimes see it being sold on the northeastern coast of Japan and Hokkaido. It has a dark ruby-red coloring that is exactly the color of Delaware grapes. It also has the sweetness of deep-water northern shrimp and jumbo shrimp. However, its sweetness is exceptional. Apparently it is not caught very often and thus fetches a pretty high price at the fish market. Nevertheless, there is something about that coloring that seems to loosen my purse strings. If you are ever at the colorful Hasshoku Center in Hachinohe and see budo [grape] shrimp, I highly suggest you purchase some, ask the shop owner for some soy sauce and wasabi, and then pop them in your mouth and savor them right there on the spot.

Anago [Conger Eel] Sashimi
★Futtsu-misaki, Chiba
I was on my way home after completing a radio job in Chiba when I decided to drive the long-way home around Tokyo Bay. Taking a detour at Futtsu-misaki, I found an anago specialty restaurant. Of the all the various dishes on the menu, I was surprised to find “anago sashimi”. Can you even eat eel raw?!  Bowled over, I ordered it and found that it looked as transparent and appealing as fugu [blowfish]. As for the flavor, the sashimi was firm and sweet, and with just the right amount of fatty meat to make it so delicious I couldn’t verbalize it. Talking about Futtsu, looking westward from the coast I feel like I can almost touch the lights of my hometown of Yokohama. It makes the street light effect tangible.

Deep-fried Mehikari [Round Greeneyes]
★Onahama in Iwaki, Fukushima
It was the summer following the 2011 disaster. I went to the Tohoku Rokkon Festival that celebrates the 6 major festivals of the 6 Northeast prefectures. Having suffered the travesties and turmoil of that year, each of the Tohoku prefectures channeled their energies into this festival with the intent to raise awareness and buffer restoration efforts. I will never forget the passion of the people and spectacular parades were so incredibly moving. Fukushima was particularly hard hit due to the complications of the nuclear plant, but the entertainment districts were lively and I will never forget sitting in an izakaya [Japanese style bar] having a tasty bite of succulent mehikari. If I were asked, “What is your favorite sashimi?”, there are so many I would not be able choose just one. But if I were asked, “What is your favorite deep-fried fish?”, I would not hesitate to answer, “eelpout from Toyama or mehikari from Onahama.” It will still be a long time before the majority of seafood from Fukushima can pass radioactive contamination inspections, and even though it eventually does get an OK from the government and fishery cooperatives, there will still be people who remain concerned about Fukushima products. Unfortunately, such harmful rumors are inevitable, so I am particularly compelled to say that Fukushima fish is delicious. Personally, I hope you all try it sometime.

Pickled Maguro [Pacific Bluefin Tuna]
★Delicious sushi bars across Japan
This is a deviation from what would be categorized as “delicious fish”, but I have reason for including this in the list. There are restaurants that serve “pickled” foods, and those that do not. There are restaurants that are delicious, and those that are not. That goes the same for sushi bars. Restaurants that carry good, fresh fish and assiduously prepare their pickled items are distinctly better. I would like all foreigners to have their eyes opened to this. Eating defrosted maguro is rather standard and, because it is not necessarily “seasonal”, it is delicious year-round. However, if you take that maguro and pickle it in an elegant soy sauce-based stock, the red meat transforms into something completely different. You often hear the erudite opinion that you can judge how good a sushi bar is by how good its tamago is, but since I’m not very keen on dashimaki [traditional Japanese-style rolled egg] the gauge doesn’t really work with me. Instead, I’d like to offer this one: “You can judge how good a sushi bar is by how good their pickled ika [squid] and maguro are.” I bet I wouldn’t be too far off the mark either.