Place number 4. Aji fish
The Japanese prefer to use aji fish to make oshizushi or sushi, where rice is mixed with vinegar and fish. In addition, fried fish is served hot.
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food with the chef
In the summer they eat fish, perhaps, more often than at other times, because the fishing season is in full swing, but the usual carp and trout may have become quite boring. For this occasion, the chef of the Yoko restaurant, Gennady Kim, talks about types of fish that are common in Japan, but still little known in our country.
What is this strange fish that people in Russia don’t know, but in Japan they eat literally every day?
This fish is called isaki. Like any other fish, we buy it early in the morning from the large Tokyo auction market, and then it is immediately delivered to the kitchen, chilled. It is dark gray-burgundy in color and weighs on average eight hundred grams. The meat is white, fatty and very tender. There are certain rules for cutting: you need to get rid of the entrails, and then, depending on the dish that I will be preparing, you can remove the backbone and head - only one fillet will remain, or you can fry the whole thing and cut it up on the plate. If I cook sashimi, I definitely use the tail and head as decoration - this applies to any fish that we serve. I do this so that the person knows that in front of him is the meat of this particular fish. Well, and besides, it turns out to be such a small educational gastronomic adventure.
What can you make from isaki?
In addition to sashimi, isaki can be used to make an excellent barbecue dish. First of all, I marinate it in a sweet and sour citrus sauce. The fact is that isaki’s own taste is a little sweet in itself, and this sauce emphasizes it even more. Then I cook the fish on the barbecue for a very short time, and add sauces at the request of the guest. In my opinion, a spicy garlic-lemon sauce works best—it really brings out the sweet flavor. It is important that there is very little garlic, and only the aftertaste remains from it. I also like the combination of isaki with sesame sauce based on sesame oil and sauce based on miso paste. In general, isaki, due to its strong taste, has such a feature - it can be subjected to heat treatment without compromising its taste. Therefore, it will be very good cooked in a water bath, despite the fact that the dish will turn out to be dietary.
Is it possible to bake it?
Yes, this is one of those cooking methods that I really like. You need to bake it in foil, but first marinate the isaki in sake or sweet mirin rice wine. Mirin used to be used as a drink, but now only for cooking. In general, for the Japanese, isaki prepared in one way or another is an everyday food, not a delicacy. That’s why it’s not a shame to make soup from it. This will be a soup based on fish broth, with the addition of glass noodles and seafood.
What is the best side dish for isaki?
I would say that this fish is self-sufficient, but you can make a main dish that goes with a vegetable side dish: deep-fry the isaki fillet for 7-10 minutes and add a little sweet and sour citrus sauce. For the side dish, fry whatever vegetables you like on a teppan with sesame oil (you can use peppers, zucchini, eggplants), with shiitake mushrooms and pak choi lettuce, and season the side dish with hot sauce. This makes a pretty satisfying main course.
What other fish do they like in Japan?
One of the most unusual-looking fish, which the Japanese eat quite often and which I cook, is okojo fish. She is not at all like other fish - her head resembles that of a bulldog, and to the touch it is as rough and hard as stone. With the help of this head with various protrusions, it burrows into the mud. This fish is small, weighs three to four hundred grams, and its colors are red and gray.
What does okojo taste like?
Despite such a rough appearance, its taste is very delicate and subtle, the meat does not have any foreign odors of mud or even the sea. Therefore, under no circumstances will I subject it to heat treatment - in my opinion, this would be unforgivable blasphemy. The dish made from it is only sashimi. To prevent the fish from being too soft, before serving, I immerse it in water with ice for a few minutes - this way the meat becomes elastic. I recommend drinking okojo with either good dry white wine or sake with ice, and in no case do I recommend sweet drinks. Mibaru fish is similar in taste to okojo, which is the name of the Japanese ruff. Just like okojo, it is devoid of foreign odors. Mibaru is about the same size, but more pleasant in appearance - reminiscent of the red fish that swim in an aquarium, only larger and with a protruding abdomen. Mibaru is also very good as sashimi and I also recommend dipping it in ice water before serving. As sauces and seasonings for it, I recommend, without deviating from tradition, to use the well-known trinity - soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. You can also make this side dish sauce: mix green onions with fresh grated daikon and tomato paste.
Which Japanese fish has the most pronounced taste?
Aji has a strong taste, very similar to the taste of mackerel. In terms of weight, it is the same as the previous two, but a little fattier - the fat layer is located between the skin and meat. I would also use this whole fish for sashimi. The taste of yellowtail, which is also called yellowfin lakered because of the yellow stripe between the back and belly, is not bland. Unlike the four previous fish, it can be found in Moscow, but most likely in frozen form. Its fillet, of course, goes for sashimi, but the “ear” can be grilled whole and served with classic teriyaki or ponzo made from soy sauce and lemon juice.
Interviewed by Anna KAMANOVA
Chef training and licensing
The chef licensing system has been in place since 1949. It was introduced due to numerous cases of poisoning during the famine years after World War II. The license holder has the right to buy, process and sell fresh fish. It takes about 11 years to become a master . The first 3 years last for a basic educational course, at the end of which they pass a written exam and in practice prove their ability to cook 10 dishes with the product. In subsequent years, the chef takes additional specialized courses in working with fish.
Almost 1,000 candidates appear for the exam every year. Requirements for handling fish vary between prefectures. There are no restrictions in Kyushu, but in Tokyo they are very strict.
To work with fugu you must obtain a license
Appearance and features
Photos in biological reference books show numerous varieties of fugu. More than 120 species are known. For everyone, the most dangerous part of the body is the liver. It is also considered the most delicious. There are several ways to remove poison, but their reliability is imperfect. In addition, the best dishes are considered to be those in which a small proportion of the toxic substance remains - enough to make the lips tingle.
The popularity of fugu in the world is explained by the opportunity to experience the fleeting nature of life just by tasting the dish.
Interesting facts:
- , 10,000 tons are eaten per year in Japan alone .
- There are approximately 80,000 chefs in Osaka who specialize in dangerous fish.
- Fugu season is December, January.
- The most valuable variety is torafugu.
- Fugu is consumed most actively in Tokyo.
- Fugu is a word formed with the symbols “pig”, “river”, that is, “river pig”.
- Lethal dose of poison – 1 mg; 1 copy contains about 40 mg.
The individual itself is small, about the size of a human palm. She can move tail first. Fugu has no scales, only elastic skin. Frightened, she inflates, turning into a needle-shaped ball three times its normal size. The swelling is due to the absorption of water.
The poison for which the variety is so famous is found in the skin, liver, and reproductive organs. This nerve agent is 1,200 times more toxic than potassium cyanide. In a microscopic dose, it prevents age-related diseases and improves the health of the prostate gland.
Stress causes the fish to swell and swallow water.
Japanese culinary technology
The Japanese process their food minimally, which cannot be said about neighboring countries, where the choice of sauce for a dish plays the most important role. For example, in China, the sauce and method of preparation changes the same dish beyond recognition.
The Japanese attach great importance to the appearance and high quality of their dishes. Everything in a dish should be harmonious: taste, appearance, and benefits. Local chefs always try to preserve the original taste and appearance of products. For example, for the Japanese, fish is wonderful on its own; it only needs a little salt and fresh air. This is the main principle and difference between Japanese cuisine and the culinary traditions of all other countries.
Every day is a fish day!
Dishes from fish, sea animals and various shellfish in Japanese cuisine are in second place in popularity after rice. As a rule, fish undergoes minimal heat treatment when cooking. And the popular Japanese dish sashimi is generally prepared from raw, lightly marinated fish. Slices of sashimi are served on a flat plate with a side dish of fresh vegetables, such as white daikon radish, which is eaten as often as rice in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Sashimi
Content Rules
The Japanese themselves consider koi to be pets. They give the fish names, hand feed them, pet them, and look after them like children. If you bring Japanese carp to the vast expanses of our country, it will be difficult to tolerate the cold. Still, this fish needs higher temperatures. To keep koi carp at home , you must adhere to the following rules:
- A pond, pool or artificial reservoir must be at least 2 meters deep. Be sure to make a hole 0.5 meters deep at the bottom so that the fish can hide in it from the cold or heat.
The pool or artificial reservoir for keeping koi must be at least 2 meters deep. - The size of the reservoir should be based on the number of fish. For example, one koi will require approximately 50 liters of water.
- It is necessary to monitor the temperature of the water. If they drop below +10 ℃, then they stop feeding the fish in order to avoid food rotting in its stomach.
- You definitely need to take care of the compressor or fountain. These devices will enrich the water with oxygen. To ensure that the acidity of the water does not change, the reservoir is regularly cleaned and the water in it is changed.
As for the aquarium, keeping carp from Japan is quite problematic. Although it does not require a complex approach, its care must be frequent and thorough. Koi are a big fish, and it takes a lot of work to keep the water perfectly clear.
Sushi - there is no better food!
In recent years, sushi has competed with Italian pizza and the American burger. Japanese restaurants are opening with enviable regularity all over the world. Only, unlike its competitors, sushi is the standard healthy food! They are prepared from cooked rice and raw seafood. There are two main types: the first is the sushi itself, the second type is the rolls, which are prepared in a fundamentally different way. Rice and seafood are laid out in layers on a sheet of seaweed, then rolled into a thin roll. The roll is cut crosswise into small pieces with a sharp knife. The rolls are served on a flat plate or wooden stand, with wasabi horseradish, soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Sushi
History of fugu consumption in Japan
Fugu bones have been found in burial mounds dating back to the Jomon period. The people of that era lived by fishing, hunting and gathering. Fugu is mentioned in the first historical documents of Japan, dating back to 720. The commander Toyotomi Hideyoshi, after the mass poisoning of troops that took place during the Japanese invasion of Korea, banned the consumption of this fish at the end of the 16th century. Japanese rulers were forbidden to even touch fugu. During the Edo period, samurai were ordered to terminate their entire lineage in case of poisoning. 200 years passed before the ban was lifted, which happened after the first Prime Minister of Japan, Hirobumu Ito, ate a dish of this fish, enjoyed its taste and survived. He liked the food so much that he demanded immediate permission to catch it.
Mortality from poisoning
On average, about 20 puffer fish poisonings are recorded annually. Some of the outcomes are fatal. In the first year of the current millennium, 2 people died, three years later - 3. In 1997, 8 people were poisoned, of whom 6 died. In 2009, 9 gourmets were poisoned after eating a dish prepared by a non-specialist.
In earlier times, the statistics were significantly different. In the middle of the last century, 31 thousand people were poisoned but survived, and 400 died. Statistics show: 60% of those who eat poorly prepared food die. Between 1974 and 1984, 200 gourmets died after tasting the liver of home-cooked fish.
Mostly the victims are people who eat a dish made by a non-professional. Within a few minutes after the meal, malaise appears. The risk of mortality depends on the dose of poison in the meal. Death is possible 6-24 hours after the neuroparalytic substance enters the body. The body is seized by paralysis, consciousness is preserved, and death is explained by respiratory failure. The limbs go numb, the patient cannot speak, move, or breathe, but remains lucid. Since there are several known cases of very deep coma, there is a practice of monitoring the condition of the poisoned person for several days. Only after their expiration is death recorded.
One of the most famous cases of death from poisoning dates back to 1975. Famous Kabuki actor Bando Mitshugoro loved the tingling sensation in his mouth when eating a dish. One day he ordered 4 servings of poisonous fish liver. The actor died 8 hours later.
Fugu is a deadly delicacy
