Yesterday, I got four aji for tataki for 50 yen each. Tataki is a type of sashimi made by chopping raw fish with a knife with other ingredients such as miso, negi, and perilla. Tataki can also mean seared raw fish, as in katsuo no tataki (seared bonito).
昨日は、たたき用のアジを一尾50円で買いました。たたきとは、生の魚を味噌、ねぎ、シソなどの具材と包丁でたたいて作る、刺身の一種です。また、かつおのたたきなど、表面を焼いた生の魚を指すこともあります。
I usually use my Global santoku to fillet aji, but for this time, I decided to use my Watanabe Blade stainless steel 12-mm petty (paring) knife. To that end, I put an extra sharp edge on the tip of the blade beforehand, with my #1000 and #5000 whetstones.
普段はGlobalの三徳を使ってアジをさばくのですが、今回は渡辺刃物のステンレスの12-mmのペティナイフを使うことにしました。そのために、#1000と#5000の砥石を使って刃の切っ先を普段より余分に鋭くしておきました。
Instead of making tataki, I simply cut each fillet into small pieces.
たたきは作らず、単に小さく切りました。
Petty knife after filleting:
さばいた後のペティナイフ：
It's hard to tell from the photo, but the blade had a few nicks. I had to repair the knife by using my #1000 and #5000 whetstones again.
写真では分かりにくですが、刃には小さな傷があります。 また#1000と#5000の砥石を使って直しました。
I think I'd better stick to my Global santoku to fillet fish for now. The Watanabe Blade kuro-uchi (black finish) mioroshi deba with a blade length of 195 mm is just too big and heavy (approx. 240 g).
今のところグローバルの三徳を使っているほうがいいと思います。渡辺刃物の黒打身卸し出刃（刃渡り195 mm）は大きすぎるし、重すぎる（約240 g）ので。
13 comments:
It is a very useful post, Hiroyuki! Especially for me who will try to fillet small fish soon with my new knife. Does it mean the first knife was too delicate or sharpened too much? (This I don't risk with my stone).
Sissi: Obviously, that particular knife (stainless steel petty) is not rigid enough to fillet fish. I knew that all along, but I wanted to give it a try. I think (but I'm not sure) that your chef's knife should be rigid enough to fillet fish.
If you don't like the way your knife gets into the fish, you may want to sharpen the tip of the blade, but only after you have trained yourself how to sharpen a knife properly.
Thank you, Hiroyuki. I will keep it in mind... I haven't played with whetstone yet but probably next weekend all my old knives will get a second life ;-) (At least I'll try).
I prepared katsuo no tataki several times, whenever I can buy "sushi" grade Tuna (grade tells you that the fish can be eaten raw) for a more reasonable price - most of the time it is terrible expensive. Sadly our mackerels are not that trustworthy, would not advice to eat them raw. Mackerel is always delicious but I hate the smell whenever I have to clean and fillet one. Did your mackerels smell too or is it only our variety?
Sissi: yes, hone your skills with some old and cheap knives first.
Kiki: Smell? If I were to find sashimi- or tataki-grade fish smelly, I wouldn't dare eat it!
In Japan, every care is taken to keep fish fresh, and the care starts at the point of catching, I mean, the fishing boat.
I think I have already mentioned it one day but mackerels (saba) are the only fish species which regularly has lots of parasites when I clean them. I have never seen parasites in aji for example. According to my shop fish "specialists" it's normal, especially in warm months, but it makes me reluctant to try saba raw, no matter how fresh it is.
New report on my knife (sorry I'm so happy I have to write it!): I have filleted 12 sardines in less than 10 minutes with my knife. It was so easy I will never ever see filleting as an obstacle! I have simply fried them on a pan and forgot to simmer according to your wife's recipe. (Oh, and I have also filleted a small saba mackerel: even easier!). I have bought several small aji and will be butterflying them tonight to make aji no hiraki.
Sissi: Keep up the good work!
As for me, I'm thinking of using my outdoor knife to fillet fish. I will post about it if I do.
As for the parasites in saba, the parasites are in the innards of saba, but when the saba die, they may enter the flesh. In Japan, we usually marinate saba fillets in vinegar before eating rather than eating raw, although vinegar cannot kill parasites (anisakis).
Yes, it's in the innards but sometimes gets into the flesh. I always wash the fillets carefully even though when I cook afterwards, the parasites would die. I remember I had vinegared saba sushi in Tokyo. It was very good!
I always add vinegar to the water in which I soak first salads before rinsing them. It kills many bugs!
Anyway, the other day I saw an interesting program about insects eaten in many countries and they were saying that even though in Europe we are disgusted by insects, for example a French person eats on average 200g insects a year without knowing it (mainly in raw vegetables).
Sissi: Thank you for the interesting program.
In the Edo period, the Japanese rarely ate vegetables raw. Even in 1960s, when I was a kid, we usually consumed vegetables as ohitashi, as/in nimono, and so on. I understand that some people mistakenly believe that the Japanese are a barbarous people who eat raw fish. Nothing is far from the truth! We eat only sashimi-grade fish raw! Sorry for ranting!
Hiroyuki, we rather see this as sophistication. Nothing barbarous ;-) I have been reading another Chinese cookery book and have read that until recently the Chinese considered uncivilised to eat raw vegetables... Was it the same in Japan?
On the other hand, some vegetables, as cucumber, as much easier digested pickled than raw... so I understand. I have recently learnt that raw cucumber contains something (sorry forgot what) that inhibits the absorption of vitamin C! So no point in eating raw cucumber with whatever has vit.C! Pickled one (at least the European brined) no longer does it and during the fermentation process it multiplies its vit. C content (raw one contains just traces of vit. C).
Sissi: I think you are one of those rare people who understand Japanese cuisine.
(I don't want to talk about stupid people who say stupid things about the cuisines of other peoples.)
Uncivilized? I don't think so. We just took it for granted that vegetables should be eaten after cooked in some way or other. The main reason is that "human manure" was used in the Edo period (and even in early Showa period, I suppose).
I learned from a magazine about the enzyme in cucumbers and carrots that destroys vitamin C when I was a teenager, but I still combine them with potatoes, for example.
Hiroyuki, thank you. I am very flattered :-)
I had no idea about carrots! I have to watch my dishes carefully now...
Human manure explains a lot...
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