Katsuo Tataki 鰹たたき
Katsuo Tataki pack from the supermarket
Katsuo (skipjack tuna or bonito) is in season twice a year. In the springtime katsuo swims from south to north along the Pacific Coast of Japan to its destination Aomori at the northern tip of Honshu, Japan's biggest island. In the spring katsuo is a lean fish. While swimming north katsuo eats a lot of smaller fish and starts to get fat. By autumn when katsuo swims along the same path to the south it is rich in fat, and that is what treasured by the Japanese this time of year.
Tataki is a very common preparation for katsuo. The outside of a sashimi quality katsuo filet is seared. The katsuo is cut into thick slices and served with a citrusy ponzu sauce. The dish above was purchased at our local department store. If possible, look for fresh katsuo, not previously frozen, for a better texture. Look on the packaging for the kanji for "nama" or raw. If it was previously frozen it will say "reitou". Domestic seafood will be labeled as "kokusan", or will even list the specific prefecture it hails from.
Key kanji on katsuo packaging:
生 nama - raw
冷凍 reitou - frozen
旬 shun - seasonal
刺身用 sashimi you - can be eaten raw
国産 kokusan - domestic
高知 Kochi - a prefecture known for its katsuo
Katsuo Sashimi Herbal Salad 鰹刺身サラダ
Katsuo Sashimi Salad
We love to have sashimi salad throughout the year. This salad above is made with katsuo sashimi. As katsuo is a very meaty and full-flavored fish it can be topped with many different yakumi (condiments).
Shinji's Katsuo Sashimi Herbal Salad
onions, thinly sliced and rinsed in cold water
kaiware (daikon sprouts)
myoga, julienned
shiso, chiffonade
garlic, thinly sliced
ginger, julienned
green onions, finely chopped
katsuo sashimi
homemade ponzu
sudachi (Japanese lime)
soy sauce
mirin
Mix the homemade ponzu. Determine which citrus (sudachi, kabosu, lime, or daidai) to use. Overseas this may be hard to find so feel free to use yuzu juice (often sold in bottles at Japanese markets) or another tart citron. Our home recipe is one part each of citrus juice, soy sauce, and mirin. Taste this and then adjust as you like. To make this into a salad dressing then just add some extra-virgin olive oil.
On a large serving platter layer thinly sliced rinsed onions and top with kaiware. Over that layer the sliced katsuo sashimi. Sprinkle the sashimi with the yakumi of myoga, shiso, garlic, ginger, and green onions. Feel free to garnish with thinly sliced sudachi (but only for decoration, not to be consumed).
Just before eating pour the ponzu over the salad.
This same salad can be made all-year long using tuna or salmon. In the fall another nice fish to use is sanma. And, in spring, the lean katsuo is also nice. Feel free to add other vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, or daikon.
Katsuo and Maguro Sashimi
Here is a photo of katsuo sashimi in the back and tuna sashimi in the front just to see the contrast in color. On the left of the plate is the chiai or bloodline of the katsuo that Shinji rough chopped and mixed with a bit of mayonnaise.
Seafood postings starting from this one will be penned by my husband, Shinji, a former buyer at Tsukiji Market, and myself. We hope to introduce seasonal Japanese seafood to the world.
