fish

kohaku-kamaboko.jpg

About kamaboko, the humble, rubbery fish cake that is ubiquitous at this time of year, but is also eaten year-round.

Filed under:  japanese ingredients fish washoku

buri-up.jpg

Fish that get on in life, plus a super-simple recipe for teriyaki fish made in the oven.

Filed under:  japanese ingredients fish japan washoku

katsuo-sashimi.jpg

This month's Japan Times article is about all the raw-protein foods that are eaten in Japan, and consuming them safely, plus how to make a great plate of sashimi. More on both topics below.

Filed under:  japanese sushi fish japan writing elsewhere japan times sashimi

sanmafresh.jpg

The favorite fish of the fall season in Japan.

Filed under:  japanese fall fish monday photo

japanese-fish-dinner.jpg

A new article in The Japan Times about winter fish, and how fish fits into a typical Japanese meal.

Filed under:  japanese fall winter fish japan seafood washoku in the media writing elsewhere japan times

ika-ninjin.jpg

A simple side dish or salad to serve as part of a Japanese meal, or on its own. Plus, take a look at a couple of real Japanese home meals!

Filed under:  japanese lighter fish japan seafood low-carb

iwashi_no_kanroni.jpg

One thing I'm really enjoying here in Japan is cooking simple things at home with my mother. To me, quintessential Japanese home cooking is a dish like this. Sardines, which happen to be quite inexpensive (and sustainable too), are slowly cooked until they are well flavored, meltingly soft, and glossy with a typically Japanese sweet-salty sauce. (The 'kanroni' (甘露煮) in the name refers to the method of simmering something in this sweet-salty sauce.) It uses just a few basic ingredients, so please give it a try if you can get a hold of very fresh sardines or similar oily fish. (The fish do have to be very fresh for this to be really good and not-fishy.)

I had a bit of a job working out this recipe, which comes from my mother, since she really doesn't measure anything when she makes this! After some trial and error, I think these ingredient amounts work well.

Filed under:  japanese fish washoku mom's recipes

fugu1.jpg

(Note: Your responses to the question posed below may be translated for a Japanese blog! Read on...)

Even though I'm Japanese, I do think that we eat an awful lot of food that could be considered to be odd. One of them is the infamous fugu, or puffer fish. Fugu's main claim to fame, besides its extraordinary appearance (it puffs itself up to make itself look a lot bigger to predators), is that its skin and organs are highly poisonous. Nevertheless, it's considered to be a great delicacy in Japan. It's now fugu season in fact, so many people are tucking in to fugu sashi (fugu sashimi), fugu nabe (fugu hotpot), and so on.

Filed under:  japanese fish offbeat japan

saba_misoni500.jpg

Here's another classic Japanese recipe from my mother. I have to admit that I'm not very good with fish, with the exception of simple grilling or panfrying and so on, but my mom has all kinds of great fish recipes up her sleeve.

Last week we spent a rather chilly week in Brittany (Bretagne), where the highlight was definitely the abundance of cheap, really fresh fish available to us. One fish in particular that was really good and inexpensive was maquereau, or Atlantic mackerel, which we know as saba (鯖 さば)in Japanese. In Japan, mackerel is usually treated one of three ways: grilled over an open flame (amiyaki), treated with salt and vinegar (shimesaba) and turned into an old fashioned kind of sushi (sabazushi), or gently braised in a sauce with the classic Japanese combination of salty-sweet flavors. This mackerel is cooked in a ginger scented miso sauce, then allowed to cool down in the liquid overnight, which allows the flavors to penetrate the firm flesh of the fish. You barely notice the oiliness at all, and the sauce is plate-lickingly tasty. I like to eat it chilled, right out of the refrigerator, with plain rice and a simple salad on the side. It makes for a refreshing yet rich dish for a summer meal.

Filed under:  japanese fish seafood

cocospshsoup.jpg

This rich fusion-esque soup is something I just came up with while fiddling around with the idea of a bisque-like soup without any cream or milk in it. It is fairly frugal despite its richness.

Filed under:  soup winter fish favorites gluten-free asian

Pages