Yakizakana

Perhaps unsurprisingly, since coming to Japan, my passion for cooking and food has blossomed into an obsession. It is so easy to cook delicious food here. Unlike many of my dorm mates, who smartly frequent the local noodle shops (cheap, quick, and a good way to speedily practice Japanese), I tend to take the long way around. This involves farmer's markets, specialty shops on castle road, and, if time is really pressing, a sojourn the the local grocery store. I've learned how to make a few simple things easily. These include really good rice bowls, pickles, miso soup, dressed spinach, oden stew, kabocha dumplings, and all manners of things to do with natto. However, out of all of my food staples, my favorite it easily yakizakana.

Yakizakana is daunting. It is oily, bony, and more than a little smelly. Also, many Americans really prefer it when their dinner isn't looking up at them. However, the price of fish in Japan has lead me to my new love. Yakizakana: whole fish grilled in a teriyaki sauce. The whole meal costs me about $5-- $10 if I want to get really fancy with vegetables and sides. Here is my quick recipe and some pictures. Seriously, if you have access to whole fish and a grill, you cannot miss this dish. Fish skin is my new favorite animal part. Crunchy, oily, salty, and sweet. What more could you ask for in a food item? I've determined there simply is no more need for bacon.

One word of caution: Don't invite people into your room when you're eating it. I haven't yet mastered how to properly eat a whole fish, so I'm still a little clumsy with removing the spine and ribcage.

Yakizakana
I recommend trying to find whole sanma, though I'm not sure if they're available in the US.

1 Gut and clean your fish (if this hasn't been done already.) Rinse the fish in cod running water and then dab it dry with a paper towel. If in a lemony mood, carefully place thinly cut lemon slices in the belly cavity. I generally think this is unnecessary if the fish is good and fresh.
2 Grate ginger and reserve the juice. (I use a quarter cup, but I love ginger.)
3 Mix the ginger juice, some soy sauce, and mirin in a bowl. You need enough to lightly brugh each side of the fish with sauce.
4 Brush the fish with sauce and then sprinkle each side with 1/4 t of salt. Lay the salt on a little thicker on the tail, eyes, and fins.
5 Grill your fish! I use an inside, stove-top grill (see pictures), but I suppose an outside grill would work well too. Just be careful of burning, as smaller, leaner fish dry out quickly. You want the skin to be golden brown on both sides, which is about 5 minutes per side in my oven. (Personally... I like them a little charred, so I go longer...)
6 Serve with grated daikon, ginger, mountain yam, and carrot. Can be served with things like steamed rice, boiled spinach, or miso soup.

Enjoy!


As you can tell, I like my fish a little on the charred side... mmmm carcinogens.