Essiential Ingredients of Japanese Food - Seafood
Seafood
The blessing of the ocean
Various seafood seen in a country surrounded by the ocean
People in Japan, a country surrounded by the ocean, have started eating seafood over 3000 years ago. Seafood can be consumed in raw like sushi and sashimi because it is so fresh. Also, because the nation's coastal lines stretch out from north to south, various seafood can be seen in different regions.
Thanks to four currents around the islands of Japan (1:Tsushima, 2:Chishima, 3:Kuroshio and 4:Liman), the same fish are found around the country each season. In Japan, you can see the change of four seasons by seeing seafood in the market.
Seasonally seen seafood that can hardly wait for
Japanese people always love seasonally available seafood as in olden times in Japan, it was sophisticated to eat fresh seasonal seafood even with borrowed money. A recent development in technologies for farming and cooling systems technologies has allowed us to enjoy fresh seafood throughout a year. However, seafood served in its best season still has the greatest flavor and high nutrition.
Well-known fish in each season is as follows: spring (March - May) - chicken grunt, Japanese whiting, amberjack, bonito; summer (June - August) mackerel, conger, sea eel, Japanese flying squid; autumn (September - November) oysters, pickerel, mackerel, alfonsino, etc.; winter (December - February) scallops, flatfish, yellowtail, tuna, octopus, etc.
Trip to find fresh seafood in local areas
In recent years, it has become popular to go on a trip to relish fresh seafood at famous fishers’towns. The trip allows you not only to enjoy such seafood in a local style that can never be seen in urban areas. Also, towns with fishery are usually attractive tourist spots, too. Why don’t you extend your trip to these towns, where you can enjoy fresh seafood.
Enjoy delicious seafood
Japanese people have devoted themselves to develop various cooking methods and techniques (e.g.: grilling, boiling, deep-frying) in order to cook seafood in the best way. Japanese cuisines are profound as different cooking methods can create completely different dishes even using the same fish.
Even in sushi and sashimi, popular seafood dishes, you can enjoy different experience. Usually they are served with soy sauce, but salt and citrus juice can be served for sea bream and flatfish to relish different flavors. Also, using ginger instead of wasabi for sardines and horse mackerels reduces the strong tastes of the fish.