Daily Nihongo (2005 - )

[Evan]

1/23:

????

nanatsu dougu

This translates as the "7 tools". The Japanese often say about ankou that there is no part you can't eat and these 7 tools are the 7 parts that should never be thrown away. They are the flesh, skin, liver, stomach, ovaries, fins and gills.

This shows how to cut up ankou and what the 7 tools are, click on the picture to see it better.

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Interesting, this is the first time I've ever heard of anyone eating the gills of a fish.

[torakris]

1/25:

あんこう鍋

ankou nabe

This is the ankou hot pot and one of the best ways to enjoy the nanatsu dougu (7 tools). This time of year most supermarkets will sell ankou nabe sets that consist of ankou meat and all or some of the nanatsu dougu.

some pictures of ankou nabe

[torakris]

1/26:

共酢　ともず

tomozu

This is another great way to enjoy the nanatsu dougu. Various ankou meats and other parts are arranged on a dish a served with vinegar-miso sauce that has been enriched with a paste made from the ankou liver.

tomozu (second picture down)

[torakris]

1/27:

どぶ汁

dobujiru

This is a dish that at first glance might look very similar to ankou nabe but while ankou nabe is usually made by simmering the fish and vegetables in kelp broth, dobujiru should use no additional liquid. It is a little bit trickier than the nabe but the fish and vegetables should give off enough liquid to prevent the whole thing from burning. They both start with a liver paste and are seasoned with miso but with less liquid added the dobujiru has a much stronger taste.

step by step dobujiru

this person adds a bit of water and they make the comment that they are worried the vegetables won't give off enough..

click on the pictures to see tham bigger

[torakris]

1/28:

あんこう唐揚

ankou karaage

deep fried ankou

あんこう刺身

ankou sashimi

these are two other ways you may run across ankou meat

click here for pictures, the last two

[torakris]

1/29:

あんきも

ankimo

monkfish liver

This is probably the most prized part of the ankou fish and it is appropriately referred to as "the foie gras of the sea". This winter delicacy is most commonly steamed whole then served in slices with a ponzu sauce.

An eGullet thread on ankimo

Directions in English for preparing ankimo at home

Edited January 29, 2006 by torakris (log)

[Hiroyuki]

1/29:

あんきも

ankimo

monkfish liver

This is probably the most prized part of the ankou fish and it is appropriately referred to as "the foie gras of the sea". This winter delicacy is most commonly steamed whole then served in slices with a ponzu sauce.

An eGullet thread on ankimo

Directions in English for preparing ankimo at home

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The first link seems to be broken. Let me add ankimo is a favorite of my father's.

[torakris]

Hiroyuki,

Thanks! I have fixed the link.

[torakris]

1/30:

This time of year ankimo can also be found as a popular item at sushi bars, it is usually served as a gunkan maki.

If you absolutely must eat it out of season, you can always find it canned.

[torakris]

2/9:

キンメダイ　　金目鯛

kinmedai

Alfonsin/Alfonsino

The literal translation would be "Golden eye snapper" but this is a misnomer as they are not in the tai (snapper family). They are not even in the same order, kinmedai being in the Beryciformes order and the sea breams/snappers/porgies in the Perciformes order. They are often translated into English as Golden eye snapper, red snapper, big eye snapper, big eye fish, etc.

Kinmedai

[Pan]

Pretty red fish. Do you know about how big they are?

[torakris]

Pretty red fish. Do you know about how big they are?

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The size can vary, they average about 300 to 500g (10 to 16 ozs) but can go up to 1kg (2lbs). The smaller ones are often cooked whole while the larger ones are cut into filets.

[torakris]

2/10:

Kinmedai is one of the fish that a couple years ago was found to contain high levels of mercury. Limited consumption was recommended fro pregnant women but it seems thatt eh rest of the population was scared as well.

Japan's Fishing Industry in Peril

"Prices are down on average of 40 percent," said Norie Hara, who owns a small fish shop in Meguro, a residential area in Tokyo. "The kinmedai was much sought after, but not anymore." At an average of US$10 per kilogram, selling kinmedai meant good business for vendors.

Statistics from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government bear this out: it estimated that kinmedai alone accounted for $3 million of the total fish sales of $38 million in the capital's metropolitan region for 2000

[torakris]

2/11:

煮付け　　煮つけ　　煮付

nitsuke (knee-tsu-kay)

Nitsuke is a popular way of cooking fish like kinmedai. It is simply simmering the item in some of the following: water, broth, sake, sugar, mirin, soy sauce. The exact ingredients depend on the cook and the type of food being cooked. The item is simmered until the sauce is almost completely reduced to enable the flavor to settle completely, leaving it slightly sweet and slightly salty.

Kinmedai is often prepared whole for nitsuke, but it can also be made with a filet.

[torakris]

2/13:

姿煮

sugata-ni

This is a type of simmered dish in which the food is cooked and served all in one piece.

kinmedai sugata-ni

[torakris]

2/14

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day in Japan thread

[torakris]

2/15:

干物

himono (hoshimono)

This term refers to foods that are semi-dried. To learn more, check out the hoshimono thread.

Kinmedai makes a fabulous himono. Isn't this just mouthwatering?

[Hiroyuki]

2/9:

キンメダイ　　金目鯛

kinmedai

Alfonsin/Alfonsino

The literal translation would be "Golden eye snapper" but this is a misnomer as they are not in the tai (snapper family). They are not even in the same order, kinmedai being in the Beryciformes order and the sea breams/snappers/porgies in the Perciformes order.  They are often translated into English as Golden eye snapper, red snapper, big eye snapper, big eye fish, etc.

Kinmedai

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Coincidentally, yesterday's edition of Hanamaru Market featured kinmedai in its Tokumaru section.

http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanamaru/tokumaru/060214.html

full of information, but in Japanese only.

I learned that Shimoda city in Shizuoka prefecture is a city of kinmedai. Be sure to have some kind of kinmedai product when you visit there.

[torakris]

Thanks for that link!

I think the kinmedai shio ramen and kinmedai corokke look interesting.

Apparently the kinmedai corokke is quite popular in Shimoda, I found this page that shows variations from different shops.

[torakris]

2/16:

あら　/　　アラ

ara

Ara are the parts of the fish that are leftover when cutting it up but are too good to just throw away. It usually consists of the head, bones, tail, etc. These are parts are packaged separately from the fish filets and are often sold for a pretty cheap price in the supermarkets. Two of the most common dishs you will see are ara-ni (simmered ara) and ara-jiru (soup made with ara).

kinmedai no ara-ni

kinmedai no ara-jiru

[torakris]

2/18:

たら

tara

Pacific cod, the most common one in Japan is actually the madara ("true" cod) but you often see lables note it simply as tara.

Information on the Pacific cod

[torakris]

2/19:

There are two other types of tara you may run across in Japan:

スケソウダラ/スケトウダラ

sukesou-dara/suketou-dara

In English this is often referred to as Alaska pollock, Pacific pollock and a couple other names.

コマイ

komai

This is called saffron cod in English.

pictures comparing all 3 of the cods

[torakris]

2/20:

寒鱈　　寒だら

kan-dara

This is the fatty winter tara that is only available for a short period. Some other kan ("cold") fish we discussed were kan-saba (mackeral) and kan-buri (yellowtail).

Kan-dara is very popular on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamagata Prefecture, where most of it is caught.

They even have kan-dara matsuri (festival) every January.

[torakris]

2/21:

どんがら汁

dongara jiru

This soup is a speciality of the Shonai area in Yamagata. It is miso based made with the kan-dara.

dongara jiru

[torakris]

2/22:

たらちり　鱈ちり

tarachiri

Also known as tarachiri-nabe. This is a hot pot using tara.

A wonderful description and pictures