buying and preparing fish/seafood

[Schneier]

They came in pastic packaging, and were sold at room temperature on the same table as a whole lot of other dried things. So yes, I'm pretty sure they're dried.

Someone here in Tokyo said that they're eaten straight as bar food.

I'm taking them home today, assuming I can get them through customs.

Bruce

[torakris]

I had a feeling since you bought them at Ueno park they were the dried ones , but you never know...

As far as I know those are just eaten like a snack, I don't know of any cooking uses for them.

Just don't tell customs you have them, my father went home with a rather large raspberry plant (roots and all) from my in-laws backyard, because my father the gardener said it was unlike any raspberry plant he had seen in the US......

and despite a lengthy luggage search at Narita (it was wrapped in newspaper and then a bag) they didn't notice it.......

[nuppe]

Can anyone explain how to make mackerel (saba) kirimi. The important thing is how to use the knife. I guess the kirimi usually is salted before the cutting. I think it is common to buy readymade kirimi in Japan, but I would like to know(even though it might be difficult to explain)

Nuppe

[helenjp]

Hmmm..you mean slices or "steaks" of fish to serve salted and grilled? In that case, you just scale and gut the fish, then open it out, cutting through the lateral bones on one side of the fish to make this possible. These detached bones are either cut out along with connective tissue, or removed with tweezers.

Mackerel has bones that run "outward" through the flesh along the middle of the fillet (hard to describe). These need to be removed with tweezers.

At this point you can then cut each fish "half" into slices.

However, while the sliced fish can be salted, salting is often done before any loose bones are removed, because the more fish is exposed, the greater the chance of spoilage. In Japan, mackerel is renowned for spoiling quickly. Use a coarse salt for salting, and hang up to dry - somewhere cool, breezy, and out of the sun.

A half day is often enough for small fish, so try 12-24 hours??

[torakris]

here are step by step pictures of the sanmai oroshi method of cutting fish that is commonly used on saba:

http://www.tsuji.ac.jp/hp/gihou/Basic_Tech...sh/amadai2.html

you could cut these further to make small kirimi

for more information on saba take a look at the Daily Nihongo thread starting at page 18 (4/18) and continuing on for several pages

EDIT the daily nihongo thread can be found here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=20174

Edited July 27, 2004 by torakris (log)

[Hiroyuki]

here are step by step pictures of the  sanmai oroshi method of cutting fish that is commonly used on saba:

http://www.tsuji.ac.jp/hp/gihou/Basic_Tech...sh/amadai2.html

you could cut these further to make small kirimi

for more information on saba take a look at the Daily Nihongo thread starting at page 18 (4/18) and continuing on for several pages

EDIT the daily nihongo thread can be found here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=20174

Somehow, the first link that torakris provided is broken.

Here are several others:

http://www.sakana.ne.jp/cooking_ajisaba.htm

http://www.agri.pref.chiba.jp/nourinsui/12...en/orosi03.html

http://www.lico.co.jp/home/cooking_note/wa...ashoku_007.html

http://www.suisan.n-nourin.jp/oh/osakana/c...y/aji_saba.html

http://www.og-cookingschool.com/sakana/index_02.htm

(Look under B.)

http://www.marinelabo.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp...hiraki/aji.html

[origamicrane]

hi there

while we at it is there a link on how to fillet eel unagi?

as i got one in the fridge and plann to use it in a bbq but don't want the kids to have trouble with the bones.

thnaks

[nuppe]

Have me excused for not contributing to the eel fillet discussion. The links work! The way to cut the mackerel doesn't seem that unfamiliar for a norwegian. But do you use the inbetween-part with the backbone and the tail?

[Hiroyuki]

But do you use the inbetween-part with the backbone and the tail?

Could you tell me what exactly you mean by that?

We don't eat the tail...

[nuppe]

Sorry about this. The first time I saw the illustration of how to fillet mackerel, I noticed that three parts were presented as the end result: the left side, the right side and the "left-over" in the middle. I wondered if they used the last piece as well. But I guess you don't. In Norway we often consider using bones etc. for soup stocks, but in Japan you have your kombu and your bonito flakes for that.(and mackerel bones arent' that common for stocks in Norway)

Maybe you should look at the illustrations in the links to understand my question. And if you don't, I guess this isn't a really big issue to me.(but you eat the bones if the fish is small enough, don't you?)(like shisamo)

[Hiroyuki]

Now I know what you are talking about. We do use the bone part, called naka-bone (literally, middle bone) in Japanese, to make soup, etc.

We have two ways of filleting, ni-mai oroshi (filleting into an upper part and a lower part with bones attached), usually used for grilling, and san-mai oroshi (filleting into an upper part, a bone part, and a lower part).

[PCL]

I visited my friend the sushi chef at my local Izakaya in Melbourne. He pulled out a slab of skin-on fillet and began preparing it for sushi. I thought it looked familiar, like sea bass. The tell tale little black veins here and there on the flesh and the characteristic red tinge near the spine.

Anyhow, he mumbled something about it being a new fish to these parts, called 'Suzuki' in Japan, and immediately I felt pleased. I'd only eaten sea bass in Italy, where it's caught in the Med and well adored in Tuscany by the coast. Cooked over coals or in the oven depending on size, but anything over 1.5kg is considered too much. Over-fishing, as we know, is a problem.

The long and short of it is that they're being farmed in South Australia, alongside some of the best farmed tuna in the world, stuff's that exported to Japan everyday. This of course, is alongside things like uni from Tasmania which we consume rabidly, and is said to rival the good stuff from San Diego.

So, I'm just wondering, if the definitions are consistent. Is Suzuki, the same sea-bass in Italy? Or a variant? And if any fish-o-philes out there can say if the same fish can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Med?

Also, how is it generally prepared in Japan? I'm sure sashimi/sushi would be a must, but how is it sliced? I found the thick slices served by my friend to be a bit on the 'much' side. PRevious experience with it raw as carpaccio was always paper thin and seasoned with lemon, salt, pepper and EVOO. We tried some thinner and a marked difference was observed. More flavour, less gelatinous if that's an acceptable term. Overall improvement in texture.

It was a fun night!

[torakris]

we just recently discussed suzuki over in the Daily Nihongo thread starting here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...45entry749045

It's scientific name is Lateolabrax japonicus (Japanese sea bass/sea perch) and more can be found out about it here:

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.cfm?id=4589

[Sobaicecream]

We just had an extremely delicious gift of live kuruma ebi (type of prawn) shipped by a friend from Okinawa. The ebi were packed in a box of...sawdust? Okay, more like little pine wood chips.

Although they'd probably been in the sawdust for quite a few hours, the ebi were extremely genki, and there were quite a few escapees that leapt straight out of the sawdust, so that we had ebi all over the floor at one point.

What I want to know is: why sawdust (as opposed to, say, ice water)? Why didn't the ebi suffocate? There was a little pamphlet that came with the ebi, and it said that the ebi sort of "sleep" when placed in the sawdust, but it never explained why.

Am very curious about the whole thing.

Also, does anyone know, is Japan the only country where one can post live, er, things (like ebi), as well as chilled gifts, like seafood? For some reason, I don't remember there being such things as "cold" delivery vans when I was living in the U.S.

[woodburner]

Although they'd probably been in the sawdust for quite a few hours, the ebi were extremely genki, and there were quite a few escapees that leapt straight out of the sawdust, so that we had ebi all over the floor at one point.       

What I want to know is: why sawdust (as opposed to, say, ice water)? Why didn't the ebi suffocate? There was a little pamphlet that came with the ebi, and it said that the ebi sort of "sleep" when placed in the sawdust, but it never explained why.

Am very curious about the whole thing.

←

The sawdust is usually super cooled before packing, lowering the metobolic rate of the shrimp, which in turn, makes it a fair bet that the shrimp will be alive and healthy for up to 48 hours. It's also a monetary issue, being that wood chips will be lighter in weight than water, by volume. Lowering shipping costs.

good eats.

woodburner

[GaijinGirl]

Just got a dehydrator for Christmas, and I'm dying to use it to make dried, shredded squid snacks.... Help! --Janet

[chromedome]

Well, in Newfoundland the squid is simply brined for 3-4 hours and then hung on the clothesline. During the season, an unwary tourist might be pardoned for concluding that Newfoundlanders are the world's champion handkerchief users!

Once dried, the squid are tough and leathery (go figure). When heated gently on top of the woodstove (or in a modern oven) however, they become briefly soft and pliable. Then you just tear it into strips crosswise, and chew away. The initial impact is of salt from the brining, but the longer you chew the sweeter and more concentrated the squid flavour becomes.

This is the only way I've done squid myself, but I should expect that it's eminently duplicable with a dehydrator. Clean and skin the squid, brine it briefly, and then cut it into strips and place it in the dehydrator. Vary the flavours by adding seasonings to the brine (peppercorns, etc) or by brushing or dusting the strips before drying with, repectively, a wet or dry seasoning mixture. Something in the line of a mild teriyaki would certainly work well, and I'm sure your imagination will furnish many other.

Try blanching lemon, lime, or orange peel and dehydrating it in your new toy. Once it's absolutely dry, grind it to powder in your food processor or mortar and pestle. This makes a great ingredient for a dry rub, and lends an amazing character to numerous preparations.

[matsutakekichigai]

Help, I live in the US and I make a full osechiriryo with a friend every year. We have about 30 plus dishes. This year we wanted to try something new. We've found four different recipes but they all call for neriuni in a bottle. I am in Seattle, Washington. I have checked the local Japanese markets for neriuni and no one has any. Fresh uni is available and if I knew what was in neriuni we could make it from scratch.

Can anyone tell me the ingredients or a recipe for neriuni? The time is ticking away for oshogatsu and I'm starting to panic as I thought I'd be able to find some here. Thanks in advance.

Matsutakekichigai

[Hiroyuki]

Sorry, I can't find any recipe for making neriuni, only general descriptions of what neriuni is. According to one site, prime neriuri is made by straining fresh uni ovaries and adding only salt.

from here

http://www.3tan.jp/2kan/main/souran3.html

(Japanese only)

The quality labeling standard defines neriuni as follows:

Salted uni or salted uni with ethyl alcohol, etc.* added, the salted uni content being 65% or greater, that is mashed and kneaded.

*Ethyl alcohol, etc. refers to any of ethyl alcohol, sugar, starch, sake lees, and seasonings (such as amino acids).

from here

http://www.yamami.net/business/item01.html

(Japanese only)

[matsutakekichigai]

Hiroyuki,

Thanks for your information. I was lucky enough to find a jar in a little market close to my house. The label has uni, sake, egg yolks and egg whites listed.

My local fishmonger had a great idea. He suggested adding sake to the uni and adding amaebi as the binder instead of eggs. This would be put in a suribachi and ground to a paste.

I think I'll use uni, sake kasu, and amaebi to form a paste!

Thanks for all your help.

Happy New Year!

Matsutakekichigai

[Hiroyuki]

I'm not an uni lover myself, but my father is. I remember I once bought him a bottle of uni (probably neriuni), but he said it wasn't very good. He added he liked yaki uni (grilled sea urchin).

Here are links to some sites featuring yaki uni (sorry, all in Japanese only)

http://gourpara.com/shop/yamauchi/yakiuni.html

http://www.pref.iwate.jp/~hp6017_1/bussan/suisan/sui02.html

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/unimatsu/417156/419117/

Have any of you ever tried yaki uni?

[torakris]

Uni is one of my favorite sushi toppings, but does anyone have any favorite recipes for cooking with it? It seems like such a waste...

I had an uni sauce on a pasta once and was extremely disappointed.

[tissue]

I had seared scallops topped with uni in a restaurant in NYC before. It was delicious. Wasn't a Japanese restaurant though.

[torakris]

I had seared scallops topped with uni in a restaurant in NYC before. It was delicious. Wasn't a Japanese restaurant though.

←

was the uni still raw?

That actually sounds really good....

[tissue]

Ok, I had it 2 ways in different restaurants. First one was seared diver scallops topped with uni (raw, not super cold though since the scallop warmed it some). But the uni sort of melted into this gooey sauce on top of the scallop. Another dish I had, was at Union Pacific when Rocco was still cooking.

Here is the recipe.

http://www.starchefs.com/features/southbea...recipe_02.shtml