Oh-edo Antiques/Bric-a-brac Market

Lots of punters abroad even by 9am.  There were some nice specimens of lacquerwork and old tansu chests I would think about buying if I lived in a bigger house.   I was also tempted by a complete set of mounted John Player cigarette cards: Sea Fishes of the British Isles but thought better of it.  However, after some searching I found what I was looking for in the first place: a Japanese traditional stream fisherman’s creel (called biku, 魚籠 in Japanese).  It was very cheap and with some scrubbing and maybe lacquering, will be perfectly serviceable.

Anyway, on returning home the shirogisu whiting – boned except for the tail and spread out – I had laid out to dry in the sun were ready.  Treated this way the fish will keep for a fortnight or so.

Tokyo Bay Whiting

Made my first whiting trip of the season today.  Despite the high winds blowing most of the day, I had a very good catch – in addition to my first angler’s sunburn of the year.  However, I knew I would have a good day on the water: I met Fishing Cat outside my flat on the way out in the morning.  She pretended to ignore me but once I turned my back she followed me out to the main road; perhaps I (or my fishing gear) smelt of fish.

Although I left off fishing at about 1pm I still had a huge catch.  I gave the largest away to my local sushi restaurant that always wants the big fish; the rest I filleted for tenpura or sun-drying.  It took me close on two hours to fillet them all.

God help

sailors out on a night like this. My barometer reads 979 mb and we currently have 22 m/s winds (a Beaufort 9) in my part of Tokyo: it sounds like someone is playing a fire-hose on my flat.  Anyway, today I despatched the last of my smokehouse salmon in a classic dish: with buttered eggs.  In certain hotels in Paris and Normandie I have been served a version of this, but none can compare to my home-smoked, home-made variety, made with big, big chunks of smoked salmon, the whole seasoned very lightly with ground white pepper and served on white bread just toasted till crusty.  It wants no other flavouring or seasoning and I am amazed I had the presence of mind to take a photo of the dish before devouring it.

Out and About

on a rainy, dismal-Jemmy day at sea: the 2000-ton four-masted barque Kaioh-maru (sometimes transliterated as Kaiwo-maru) II at moorings on Tokyo Bay.

Boxing Day Fishing

A very good day out on the water cuttlefish-fishing.  A Thermos flask of strong coffee, doubly-shotted with Bajun rum, kept my spirits up and I was treated to a fantastic observation of Mars and Saturn in the morning, before sunrise.  I took a brace of cuttlefish and on the way out spotted a magnificent specimen of P. haliaetus snatching fish at the water’s edge, and could see a snow-capped Mt. Fuji looking regal over the Bay all day long.

The combination of hot coffee and my trusty Guernsey frock kept the cold out – it was about 2°C at dawn – and I even got sunburnt by the day’s end.  Proceedings were completed with a Japanese hot bath and a few bumpers of Madeira whilst I prepared Korean-style cuttlefish (ojingu jeot) and a dish of cuttlefish in tomato and ink pasta sauce. 

The chilli-cuttlefish came with quite a punch, and I look forward to being able to make this again in the future.  The pasta was highly acceptable too, and a couple of cans of distilled rice spirit saw off the end of the meal.

On an unrelated note, an unusual piece of Japanese scrimshaw (seaman’s carved whalebone) came into my possession, a multi-layered inro box.  The reverse is somewhat adult-oriented so I did not photograph it, but it is always gratifying to own a piece of maritime history, especially one so niche as this.

Haze: tenpura

Whilst I pride myself in cooking and consuming those fish I keep in the bag, there is an occasional pleasure to be had in having a professional cook up something for you when you have been in luck.  In this case, tenpura made from the haze I caught on Sunday (the stick on the side is littleneck clams speared on a bamboo skewer, a frivolous diversion):

In particular, tenpura and other deep-fried foods come out so much better when done in a restaurant as they want a big pot of hot oil, much larger than is practical at home. 

Whilst this did not comprise any part of my catch the sushi was excellent too!  This chutoro was the crowning piece in a feast of epic proportions.  Many thanks as always to Mr N. of Okame-sushi, one of my favourite sushi restaurants of all time (found in Shiba, Tokyo).

Haze Fishing

Good day out on the water today.

From the smokehouse

or at least, the Raj or Sirkar smokehouse, via Japan: smoked aji kedgeree.  The fish were caught last week but because of the bad weather, I was only able to smoke them this weekend; this time over a mixture of beechwood and sakura.

Ingredients laid out and waiting for the rice to be done: boiled eggs, thin-sliced ginger and smoked fish.

The kedgeree mixed through and through and ready to be devoured.  Kedgeree is greatly improved when served with fried eggs, a dal curry, Welsh rarebit or sausages, but this time I made do with white toast and a can of beer.

Aji

A quiet day out on the water today, with the weather being neither winter nor autumn: strangely hazy with a low cloud cover.  It didn’t stop me getting sunburnt but a neap tide meant slow fishing throughout the day.  I took six  big aji and a brace of the curious ‘talking’ fish ishimochi in the day.   Compare this image of Hakkei Island, complete with nori seaweed beds, with previous photos…

In hindsight, it is not surprising the fishing was slow; for one, I did not meet Fishing Cat in the early morning when I set out, and when we were at moorings, a river cormorant sat on one of the fore bitts with its wings ahoo, a sign of ill luck if ever there was, before we set sail.

However, the fishing itself was fun and it was nice to get out on the water.  Aside from a Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force slop-ship giving herself airs on the Bay, it was interesting to see a variety of vessels out on the water, including some pretty yachts, the odd man o’war,  and some absolutely gigantic container-ships.  Aji are always good eating and my catch is destined for the smoker; the ishimochi talkers I made a gift of to my local sushi restaurant.  Many thanks as always, to Kanazawa Hakkei’s Bentenya.

Three more

cuttlefish dishes.

Very lightly blanched cuttlefish legs and tentacles, tossed with wakegi (a kind of onion, but not spring) and wakame sea-weed and dressed with vinegared white miso and mustard.

Death to some, ambrosia to others; natto mixed with strips of raw cuttlefish and made unctuous with an egg yolk.

At the risk of boasting, or God forbid even enthusiasm, this dish crowned the lot of the cuttlefish-cookery: cuttlefish pieces stir-fried with bamboo shoots, green peppers and XO sauce from Hong Kong.  This was my favourite of them all.