Kan-buri, yellowtail caught in winter, is one of the major delicacies of the season. So when we spotted one the other day — the first time our local market had got them in — it was too tempting to miss.
This handsome fellow was landed in Toyama on the Japan Sea coast and trucked down overnight to our market in Kanto. It was still incredibly gleaming fresh.
At ¥3,880 for a quarter, and four times that for the whole fish, tennen buri ("wild" — ie not fish-farmed — yellowtail) is certainly not cheap. But it will get even pricier just ahead of the New Year holidays. Plus a quarter of a fish this size provides at least three meals.
The big question always is: belly or back? This time we chose the former, because it's so rich and fatty, perfect for sashimi if it's as fresh as this. When we buy for the New Year we prefer to get the back section, as it's leaner and keeps better — and also goes better in our ozoni soup (most people in this part of the country use chicken, but we've usually had our fill of fowl after all the Christmas feasting).
It's always fascinating watching the market guys prepare the fish for us (the old guy as often as not with a smouldering cigarette in his mouth). It's the effortless ease that comes from years — if not generations — of experience. That and incredibly sharp knives.
Here is the younger guy in action, cutting up our order...
Makiko Itoh has more on kan-buri in her recent piece in The Japan Times...
She also has another recipe on her excellent blog, Just Hungry.
