[torakris]

I pulled this out of the sushi/sashimi thread and am curious,
what is your favorite kind?
do you eat it plain? embellish it a little? cook with it?

[torakris]

I couldn't imagine making kimchi with out shiokara in it.
The Japanese also like to use it in dressed salads and to toss it in stirfries.

Here is a recipe (in Japanese) of one of the most popular shiokara, ika (squid), great picture too!

http://www.asahi-net...shc_siokara.htm

[jrufusj]

torakris, on Sep 4 2003, 07:22 AM, said:

I couldn't imagine making kimchi with out shiokara in it.
The Japanese also like to use it in dressed salads and to toss it in stirfries.

Here is a recipe (in Japanese) of one of the most popular shiokara, ika (squid), great picture too!

http://www.asahi-net...shc_siokara.htm

In Korea, the fermented fish product that is usually used in kimchee is called jeotgal. It can be made from shrimp (most common in general), oysters (my favorite for cabbage kimchee), small anchovy/sardine type fish, squid, or other sea products. Often, it is more heavily fermented than shiokara. Jeotgal is also often used as a dipping sauce or condiment for meats, especially pork.

Not all kimchee includes a fermented sea product. Some kimchees are very fresh and mildly seasoned. Of the two most typically seen in Japan -- cabbage and cubed radish -- only cabbage requires jeotgal. The cubed radish is often made with no seafood involved. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchee, but that's a discussion for the kimchee thread in the "Elsewhere in Asia/Pacific" forum.

My experience of shiokara is really limited to ika shiokara and to eating it as a drinking snack. I'm eager to work on adapting the ika recipe you gave to anko innards. I'll report back after I try, though it may be a few weeks before I have a chance.

By the way, if you decide to use the word jeot to try to buy the Korean product, make sure you include the full term "jeotgal". Most Koreans might only say jeot, but if you slightly mispronounce jeot alone, it is a very, very rude word.

Thanks,

Jim

[torakris]

the shrimp called jeotgal in Korean are called ami no shiokara here, at least I am assuming this is the same.
They are tiny pink shrimp and I mean tiny, this is the type of shiokara I use most for kimchi making, then sometimes the squid one, sometimes just fresh squid or oysters.
It is getting to kimchi making time!

[torakris]

A thread in the Spain forum ( http://forums.egulle...topic=34432&hl=
)
made me realize just how much of the seafood/fish eaten in Japan is the stuff that is probably trashed in other countries.

The Japanese hate to waste any part of the animal and fish is no exception.
A trip to a supermarket in Japan will reveal the passion the Japanese have for the normally garbaged fish parts.
The roe or eggs from almost any fish are considered a delicacy, they are sold still in the sacks (like tarako= cod roe, mentaiko= cod roe seasoned with chile, kazunoko, herring roe, etc) or they are sold with the eggs all separated (ikura= salmon roe, tobiko= flying fish roe, etc) or they are sold still attached to the fish ( shishamo= pregnant smelt, ko-mochi karei= flounder with egg sacs still attached). Then there are other popular dishes like shirako (cod sperm sacs) and the livers of fish like the monkfish (ankimo) and eel (unagi no kimo) that is often served skewered and grilled or in a clear soup. Crab innards (kani miso) are used as sushi toppings, added to sauces and sucked straight from the shells, other fish are fermented with their innards like the popular food shiokara, most commonly seen as squid (ika no shiokara) or bonito (katsuo no shiokara). Some fish are grilled with the innards intact and enjoyed while eating the fish, sanma (saury pike) is normally eaten this way and sometimes the innards are removed, mashed to a paste, rubbed all over the outside of the fish and then grilled.
other parts of the fish enjoyed in Japan incluse the head (atama), eyeballs (medama),
the skin (kawa), fins (hire) and bones (hone).

Any favorites?

This post has been edited by torakris: 04 January 2004 - 05:31 PM

[helenjp]

I don't know about favorite, but shirako (those cod sperm sacs) always brings back memories! The first time I ate this stuff in a nabe, I asked my host what it was. That dear old fellow, a shy and gentlemanly elderly bachelor, blushed scarlet and stuttered like a boy before he could bring himself to tell me!

I must admit I'm not all that keen on fish eaten with their trail...especially sanma (saury) without adding the bitterness of the trail to it.

[ankomochi]

I love SKIN. Skin of yellowtail, skin of salmon, skin of anything. I even look for leftover skins from my friends' plates.

It's not fish innards, but I love kama yaki, meat around neck? Sake Kama, Buri Kama, Katsuo Kama, Maguro Kama --- they are great!

[torakris]

I have to admit that probably the only food in this country that I would turn down is sanma (saury pike) smeared with its bitter guts..........
I don't think I will ever aquire a taste for it, but the kama or collars now that is a completely different story.
I can't get enough of those!

[torakris]

I will try to find some pictures of some of the foods we are talking about so everyone can appreciate them better!!!

ika no shiokara
(squid fermented in its own guts)

[Pan]

That ika must taste a whole lot better than it looks.

Anko, I like fish skin, too. Less skin for you!

[torakris]

Pan, on Jan 6 2004, 07:21 AM, said:

That ika must taste a whole lot better than it looks.

actually it does taste pretty good, not what you would expect it to taste like.

Here is a picture of shirako (cod sperm sacs) in one of its most common preparations, served with a ponzu type sauce and grated daikon, this is really good stuff, one you get past the texture
http://www.mynet.ne....zou/shirako.jpg

[herbacidal]

yea, i like skin too. also the fatty parts of the fish.

never used to like fish as a kid, but it's grown on me.

heads and eyes, never been put in front of me, never gone searching for them.

[Pan]

Really weird-looking to me, but I'm an adventurous eater and would probably try it without much hesitation. I'd try that squid, too. I like squid.

Are there codfish in the Sea of Japan or areas of the Atlantic not far from Japan?

[Pan]

Herb, try fish head some time. I can't agree with the Chinese that it has the best meat, but it's fun to eat. Yes, I do eat the eyes, but not the eyeballs.

As you probably know, Malaysians - Chinese and Malay alike - often make dishes with fish heads. Curry fish head, asam (soured with tamarind) fish head, etc. Good stuff!

[torakris]

Pan, on Jan 6 2004, 07:46 AM, said:

Are there codfish in the Sea of Japan or areas of the Atlantic not far from Japan?

Good question to which I have no idea.

I know there is a lot of cod imported into the country but exactly how much of the market I have no idea.

Here is an interesting chart that shows coutries that Japan imports fish/seafood from and what specific ones:
http://www.jinjapan..../feature03.html

[Pan]

Thanks, Kris.

Evidently, Japan imports cod from a bunch of places, but some are close to Japan (China, Korea, possibly Russia, depending on where they catch it).

[ankomochi]

Pan, on Jan 5 2004, 03:21 PM, said:

That ika must taste a whole lot better than it looks. 

Anko, I like fish skin, too. Less skin for you! 

Pan, you like skin, too? I am not an adventurous eater like you are. So, you can have shirako, ika no shiokara, and other weired looking staff as much as you like. But, please save skin for me!

[Foodie_Penguin]

torakris, on Jan 4 2004, 05:30 PM, said:

A thread in the Spain forum ( http://forums.egulle...topic=34432&hl=
)
made me realize just how much of the seafood/fish eaten in Japan is the stuff that is probably trashed in other countries.

<<snip>>

Many cultures use what you describe fish parts "trashed in other countries" for making fish stock, don't they?

I particularly like eating fish eyes (cooked, of course).



Foodie Penguin

[torakris]

Foodie_Penguin, on Jan 7 2004, 05:45 AM, said:

torakris, on Jan 4 2004, 05:30 PM, said:

A thread in the Spain forum ( http://forums.egulle...topic=34432&hl=
)
made me realize just how much of the seafood/fish eaten in Japan is the stuff that is probably trashed in other countries.

<<snip>>

Many cultures use what you describe fish parts "trashed in other countries" for making fish stock, don't they?

I particularly like eating fish eyes (cooked, of course).



Foodie Penguin

Many countries use the heads, bones, etc for stock making, the Japanese have found other uses for them as well and actually you will rarely see them being used for stock.
the bones are often removed from the fish and deep-fried and eaten as a snack with drinks. Fins, especially that of fugu, are often steeped in sake and enjoyed with the meal. Fish heads are often braised or added to nabes (hotpots) and then picked clean down to the bone including the eyeballs......

[torakris]

some more pictures

http://www.rakuten.c...1015547647.jpeg

tarako (cod roe)
mentaiko (spicy cod roe)
ikura (salmon roe)
kazunoko (herring roe)

[tissue]

Fish head soup is good.

[torakris]

talking about innards and guts in the daily nihongo thread today reminded me of this thread......

[GlorifiedRice]

How long does salted Pollack Roe last thawed?
It thawed last saturday, should it still be good?

[Hiroyuki]

By pollack roe, you mean tarako (often translated into cod roe)?
I've never thought about the use-by date of tarako, because I always try to finish it off within two or three days. A quick google search tells me that it's good for 6 to 10 days when kept in the fridge.

[JasonTrue]

If you defrosted a week ago, I'd suggest using it grilled or otherwise cooked rather than raw.