June 3, 2011

Dish 3 Inspired by Shinya Shokudo/深夜食堂をヒントに作った料理3

Episode 68, Aji no hiraki (horse mackerel cut open and dried), in Volume 5 (episode 9 of TV drama)
第五巻の第68話(テレビドラマの第九話)「アジの開き」

To make aji no hiraki, I referred to several sites, particularly this one (Japanese only), because of its appropriate description with lots of photos.
アジの開きを作るのに、幾つかのサイト、特にこのサイトを参考にしました。説明が適切で写真がたくさん載っているので。

Ingredients:
4 fresh aji
1 liter water
30-100 g salt
The amount of salt used depends on your preferences. Note that seawater contains about 28 to 35% salt, which means 28 to 35 g salt per liter. I used 50 g.

You will need a tooth brush (I used a brush that came with the soy milk maker) and a net (or something to keep off fries while drying.
材料:
新鮮なアジ 四尾
水 1リットル
塩 30~100 g
塩の使用量は好みによります。ちなみに、海水には塩が28~35%含まれます。つまり、1リットル当たり、28~35 g含まれます。私は50 gにしました。

歯ブラシ(私は豆乳メーカーについてきたブラシを使いました)とネット(または、干している間にハエを防ぐもの)が必要です。

Aji from Sado, Niigata
新潟県佐渡のアジ
I used this salt, "Akou no Nigari Jio", which contains some nigari (bittern).
この塩「赤穂のにがり塩」を使いました。にがりが入っています。

Directions:
1. Dissolve salt in water.
One site says to scale aji, while two others do not explicitly say so. So, I omit the scaling.
2. Make a cut on the belly from anus to gill area.
3. Remove innards, and rinse with water.
4. Make a cut in the head, making sure not to make the cut all the way to the back.
5. Make a cut from the gill area to the tail, again making sure not to make the cut all the way to the back.
6. Remove gills, innards, and blood, using a tooth brush where necessary.
7. Soak in salt water for 30 min. to 1 hour, depending on your preferences. I soaked mine for 40 min.
8. Dry with paper towels (don't rinse with water).
9. Sun-dry, first with the open side up and then with the skin side up, for 4 hours to half a day in total, depending on the temperature. I sun-dried mine for 3 + 3 = 6 hours in total.

作り方:
1. 塩を水に溶かす。
或るサイトでは、うろこを取るよう書いてあり、他の二つでは、はっきり書かれていないので、うろこを取るのは省略しました。
2. 腹側に肛門からエラの部分まで切れ目を入れます。
3. 内臓を取り出し、水で洗います。
4. 頭を切ります、背中側まで切らないよう注意してください。
5. エラから尾まで切ります。ここでも、背中側まで切らないよう注意してください。
6. エラ、内臓、血合いを取ります。必要に応じて歯ブラシを使ってください。
7. 塩水に、好みに応じて30分~1時間、漬けます。私は40分漬けました。
8. キッチンペーパーで拭きます(水洗いはしない)。
9. 最初は開いた側を上に、次に皮のほうを上にし、合計4時間~半日(気温に応じて)日干しします。私は3 + 3 = 合計6時間、日干ししました。

Aji, cut open:
開いたアジ:
Looking at this photo carefully, I noticed that I had cut the aji in the wrong way. Usually, the backbone should be on the right...
この写真を注意して見ると、アジを間違った方法で切ったことに気付きました。普通は、背骨は右側に来るはず...。
I placed some paper towels to evenly distribute salt water.
塩水が均一になるよう、キッチンペーパーを載せました。
I started to sun-dry them at 7:30. Sunny with soft breezes, perfect day for sun-drying!
7:30に日干しを始めました。太陽が出ていて、そよ風が吹いていて、日干しには最適な日でした。
3 hours after the start of sun-drying.
日干しを始めてから3時間後
Then, I flipped them all to sun-dry the skin side.
それから、すべて裏返して、皮のほうを日干ししました。

My wife grilled them in the toaster oven, as usual.
妻はいつも通り、オーブントースターで焼きました。
My portion:
私の分:

Very tasty!
とても美味しかったです!

35 comments:

  1. What a surprise! I haven't expected to see this recipe so quickly. I am happy to learn I can make it at home. I just have to wait for warmer and sunnier days. The only time I prepared aji I found scaling particularly difficult (I didn't know what to do with the hard "line"), so it's good news I can skip it. I find your photos very useful, the whole cutting and gutting process seems not as difficult as it sounds at first.
    I will make your recipe as soon as I see aji at my fishmonger's. Thank you so much again for the recipe and the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sissi: You don't necessarily have to wait for a sunny day. One site warns against sun-drying on a hot summer day because intense heat from the sun can "mess up" the flesh. You can make decent aji no hiraki even in winter in a well-ventilated space.
    I know what you mean by the "line". It's called zeigo or zengo in Japanese.

    It may sound insulting to you (because you are such a serious cook), but if you find scaling and degutting cumbersome, why not just leave it to the fishmonger?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hiroyuki, it's not insulting! I would love to have a fishmonger who scales, guts and makes fillets for me. Unfortunately the freshest fish I can buy is available in a big fishmonger dedicated to restaurants, where they agree to scale or gut only very big fish. So, if I want to buy a whole fish I have to gut it or scale it on my own (unless they sell packed fillets). I don't mind it, since I have done it often even as a child when I went fishing with my father. Apart from the eel I have never had any problems with scaling until I bought the horse mackerel. The "zeigo" made me realise I didn't know how to scale it!
    Thank you for the aji advice! I will not wait for very hot days then.
    And thank you for saying I am a serious cook. It's very flattering coming from you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. すごいひろゆきさん!Hats off to you Hiroyuki san! I've been so busy lately with gardening only today I have time to catch up to your blog. My jaw dropped and feeling ecstatic when I see your entries on Shinya Shokudo-which happens to be my favourite food drama. ほんとうにありがとう!

    The manga book series look interesting, are they pretty easy to read?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sissi: Before I wrote this post, I checked to see if there were any videos on the Internet explaining how to make aji no hiraki. I found none.
    Probably these videos may be of some help:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cErmJJYcEwI
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzIk8GmHtQs
    In both videos, they cut off the head (probably to make tempura or fries).

    ReplyDelete
  6. okasan: You mean, easy for you to read? I guess so, but there may be some parts for you to understand because of cultural aspects. Well, I DO recommend reading the manga, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you Hiroyuki, now I know how to cut off this zeigo part! This fish is not as known and appreciated in Europe as it is in Japan, so it was difficult to find advice. Anyway, you, the Japanese, are the absolute masters of fish preparation and cooking, so I couldn't have a better advice!
    I know it may seem weird to you not having a normal fishmonger, but it's Europe (and the the Mediterrenean part)! The "normal" fishmonger I used to go to has a very small choice and does a horrible, neglecting work (if you saw his fillets...), so I prefer to go to this "fish paradise" with choice and quality. I try to see the good side: I learn how to handle the fish and how to recognize it's fresh! I still have to master my filleting though.
    Maybe reading Shinya Shokudo is a good reason to learn quicker Japanese? I am trying to learn Japanese a bit before I go to visit Japan. It would be wonderful to be able to order food, to say it's delicious or to ask for a direction in the street. As for reading... Even hiragana is not easy, so I would be able to read Shinya Shokudo maybe after ten years of intensive studying? On the other hand I already understand at least the second image here ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sissi: I think this guy is really a master.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GCHespeowg
    Very clever! He says the usual way is risky, and recommends another way.

    Sorry, I can't give you any good advise on studying Japanese. Anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I should have mentioned earlier that there are two ways to cut a fish open, hara biraki (belly opening) and se biraki (back opening).
    As for eels, hara biraki is common in Kansai (Western Japan), while se biraki is common in Kanto (Eastern Japan).

    As for aji no hiraki, hara biraki is more common in both Kanto and Kansai, but as for aji (especially small ones) and kisu to be cooked as tempura and fries, se biraki is more common.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you, Hiroyuki. I have bookmarked this one! This man is really a magician. And he even shows how to get rid of the "needle" (I remember it well, it hurt me...).
    I didn't know about the back opening technique.Thank you. I only remember one gutting technique (it looked horribly difficult) with the help of two chopsticks (Shizuo Tsuji's book).
    I must find a good Japanese teacher in my city!
    In this video I understood one word: "ne?" I learnt it while watching Shinya Shokudo (the three ochazuke sisters were always saying "ne????"). Shinya Shokudo is not only a great film, where one can learn about the Japanese cuisine. It even teaches some Japanese words :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hiroyuki: I've never seen this fish at fish mongers around here. There is only this kind of mackarel available:
    http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Maquereaux_etal.jpg&filetimestamp=20050603202653

    Do you think the recipe will work with these fishes too?
    Usually I grill or smoke them.

    Sissi: Take lessons and join a japanese friendship group. Talking japanese is quite easy to achieve, just memorizing, memorizing. But reading and writing is something completely different. I can read and write hiragana and katakana and about 200+ Kanjis (lots of scolding from my sensei for my horrible handwriting: this stroke has to be longer and the ink has to run out this way..). Took me nearly 2 years (me and a friend are sharing 1 hour 30 minutes with a teacher each week) and I am still a beginner. But try your hardest. There was a guy who managed to learn more than 1500 Kanjis in one year (my brain would melt..)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kiki, thank you for the advice. I must find a good teacher! (I have noticed the spoken Japanese is not very difficult and the grammar doesn't seem to be very complicated...
    Smoked saba mackerel is my favourite smoked fish (I am not a big fan of smoked salmon, unless it's wild). You smoke it yourself? I am impressed! I also simmer this one in miso. The result is amazing.

    Hiroyuki, I was wondering... do you eat a lot of smoked fish in Japan?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sissi: "Ne" at the end of a sentense is like "... right?", "n'est-ce pas?", and "nicht war?".

    No, we don't. Smoked fish are much less popular than other types of processed fish.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kiki: Atlantic mackerel?
    I don't know what type of mackerel that is, but I think the recipe can be applied to your mackerel (and other species of fish), too, with good results.

    Images of saba no hiraki:
    http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E3%81%95%E3%81%B0%E3%81%AE%E9%96%8B%E3%81%8D&hl=ja&rlz=1T4GGLL_jaJP325JP326&prmd=ivns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=779&bih=351&wrapid=tlif130722477757810&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

    Sanma no hiraki and hokke no hiraki are also very popular.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hiroyuki: Thanks a lot. I will try to make sun dried mackarel next week (using our atlantic variety)

    Sissi: Hot smoking fish is easy, very recommended. But do it outdoors. You can buy small smokers at fishing supply stores. Here is a guide about smoking atlantic mackarels with the type of smoker I have in use
    http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/Hints_and_Tips/Howtoguidehotsmokingfish.htm
    I also sometimes smoke meat: Best ever duckbreasts in coffeebean smoke.
    I wonder why japanese don't like smoked fish. It is a very old method to preserve fish and meat.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hiroyuki, thank you for the translation (I have guessed something similar from the Shinya Shokudo's context).
    Kiki, thank you for the tip. I love smoked meat and smoked fish. Unfortunately I live in a flat and not a house (no garden :-( ), but maybe I'll be able to convince my family when I go to visit them...
    Duck breasts in a coffee bean smoke sound extraordinary!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kiki and Sissi: I don't know the exact reason why we don't care much for smoked fish. For one thing, we prefer simple flavor (natural flavor of the fish plus salt).
    Shiobiki sake (or sake no shiobiki) is one example:
    http://naokomoore.com/2009/12/back-in-japan-winter-2009sake-and-sake.html
    For another, smoking is not a traditional way for preservation but fermentation is, as exemplified by narezushi, which is said to be the prototype of present-day sushi.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hiroyuki, thank you for the link. Very interesting blog! The process looks similar to the making of the famous salted dried cod very popular in Portugal (and in France a bit too). However, the Portuguese cod requires a long desalting process before it is eaten. Normally I don't like cod, but after drying and salting process it acquires a very interesting taste. I must post a recipe with it one day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sissi: I hope you learn to like cod, cod roe, and..... shirako (laugh)!

    http://egullet.org/p1513922

    Believe me, fresh shirako is not fishy at all.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hiroyuki, your post on this forum looks like a wonderful feast you had! Thank you for the link. I wish I had been there! Shirako doesn't look appetising, but I am one of those people who taste everything, so if I ever go to a place which has a good reputation, I'll certainly give it a try.
    I like cod roe very much! And deep-fried conger eel bones look excellent on your photo. It is amazing how the Japanese can make a delicious meal out of something usually thrown out.
    I remember I once had crunchy salmon skin maki in Switzerland (in a Japanese restaurant). It was the best of all the sushi I had there!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sissi: Salmon skin maki? I've never had such a roll before!

    Just wanted to tell you that I finally got around to making nukadoko tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hiroyuki, thank you, now I have two recipes to look forward to (I will go on Wednesday to look for aji or another fish I can prepare this way). I hope your nukadoko will be a success!
    As for the grilled salmon skin maki, the Japanese cooks are very inventive even abroad ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hiroyuki, I am really unlucky. I went yedsterday morning to buy some aji and managed to find only very small ones (smaller than my hand). I have bought several of them thinking it's better than nothing.Then it started to rain and it rained all day.

    Today I woke up and it was raining for hours... now it's stopped, but still no sun and the air is very damp... I cannot wait for days with my fish, so I was wondering:
    1- is there a way to "cheat" and dry the brined fish in the very low heat oven (50°C for example, I use it to dry herbs)
    2-if not, what other recipe can I prepare with very small aji? Tempura?
    Thank you in advance for your help and sorry for bothering.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sissi: I did some googling, and found no one recommends using an oven because it will "cook" the fish, but I think that if your oven can be kept at such a low temperature, drying in your oven should be a good way. Other recommendations include covering with contact-dehydrating sheets and drying in a fridge
    http://arc-station.net/hoshinon/mypage/page/sakana/ajihimo/ajihimo.html
    (Japanese only) if you have such sheets
    and drying with an air-conditioner.

    And, small aji (ko-aji) are very good as tempura.

    I would suggest using an air-conditioner or an electric fan.

    What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hiroyuki, thank you for the advice. Unfortunately I don't have air conditioner... My radiators don't work any more, but I might have used them like I do in the Autumn and Winter for drying herbs and vegetables.
    I'll probably try at a very low oven temperature with two fishes and the rest will end up in the tempura. Thank you again.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sissi: You are not unlucky after all! You have the oven, you can dry your fish in it, and you can try the aji preparation technique that you learned from the guy you call a magician!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hiroyuki, I have just had the salted and grilled aji for lunch. It was delicious! Unfortunately my fish were too small (I had three aji, 10 cm each, and am dying of hunger!). Of course I was too impatient to wait until they sell the big fish.
    Thanks to your help the zengo was very easy to remove (I did it just to practice, I haven't eaten the skin anyway) and the cutting was also quite easy! The only problem is during the grilling process the two of my three fish heads have fallen off ;-) I also think maybe I have dried it a bit too long. (I have dried at 60°C in the oven for half a day).
    Is it normal that the smell is very "fishy" when it's grilled and still hot (but not unpleasant, just very strong)?
    I am very happy for having tried it and will wait for the bigger fish to appear in my shop! Thank you so much for the recipe and for the photos!
    I have to look at my photos and decide if I post it now or with the big fish!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sissi: I'm glad you liked your aji no hirai. What a great accomplishment!!
    Fishy?.... I thought for a while, but I really can't think of the right answer...
    Looking at some photos of your aji no hiraki may clear up everything. I think that if you removed the gills, innards, and blood properly, the aji didn't have strong foul smell.
    Anyway, fish won't be fishy provided you treat them right.

    I know that those who are not used to having fish will say that even the most aromatic katsuobushi dashi smells fishy...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hiroyuki, it wasn't really a foul smell. It was quite pleasant, but very very strong (stronger than usually when I fry the fish) and different from the smallest aji I have simply fried yesterday (they smelled less). It reminds me slightly of the salted cod I buy very often. Its smell is very strong and different from the fresh fish's smell. On the other hand it doesn't smell "old" fish either ;-) Maybe it's the drying and salting?
    I hope I have well removed the blood, the gills etc., but it was the first time I prepared a fish with its head on, so maybe I missed something (maybe I will send you my photo when I put it on my computer or a link to my website photo folder).
    Anyway, thank you once again for your help! I will make this recipe many, many times in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hiroyuki, I haven't posted the recipe, but have just downloaded the photos to show you. Here are the links to two aji photos (one without the head and the other with the head), already grilled.
    http://www.withaglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/aji1.jpg
    http://www.withaglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/aji2.jpg

    Could you have a look when you have some free time and tell me what it looks like to you? I am very curious what you think. Thank you in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sissi: Thanks for the links.

    The fish appear to me more dried than normal aji no hiraki. I guess that because of their small size, they were dried more quickly than larger ones.

    What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you Hiroyuki! I suppose I must have dried them too much... I was worried they wouldn't be dried enough and will stay completely raw, but then I suppose I was wrong.
    Next time I'll buy a normally sized fish and will be able to follow your instructions without modifications.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sissi: Aji no hiraki is more like "ichiya boshi" (lit. "dried overnight") than beef jerky.

    Examples of ichiya boshi:
    http://oisiso.com/itiya_hosi.html
    (Sorry Japanese only)
    You can view more photos by searching for 一夜干し.

    On the other hand, migaki nishin 身欠きにしん (beheadded and dried herring) is completely dried so it can be stored at room temperature. (There are softer types of migaki nishin nowadays, too.)
    Examples of migaki nishin
    http://shopping.hakonavi.ne.jp/kaisan/himono/migaki.html
    You can view both soft and hard types there.

    ReplyDelete
  34. はじめまして!Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. My stomach is growling looking at your aji hiraki being grilled in the toaster. And I think I`m going to get addicted to the Shinya Shokudo drama very very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Arudhi: I'm glad you liked Shinya Shokudo!

    If you ever buy aji no hiraki, I hope you find ones made in Numazu (沼津), Shizuoka.

    Bones are not edible. Visit this site
    http://homepage2.nifty.com/KKS/hall/kks-report/20021219ajihiraki-event01.htm
    for information on how to eat aji no hiraki properly (laugh)!

    ReplyDelete