Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo - Japan Haul

Friday, October 14, 2016

Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo - Japan Haul

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband stayed in Tokyo, Japan for one night for his business trip. Because he wanted to eat the best fresh fish in Tokyo, he stayed in Villa Fontaine Shiodome, which is located near Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場), so he could go there when he had a little free time. Before he flew to Japan, he told me that he would buy some fish products for me at Tsukiji Fish Market. :) Today, I'm going to share 7 fish products he bought there with you. If you are not Japanese or have never lived in Japan, I think these might look like bizarre foods to you. ;)

Tsukiji Fish Market Haul

1. 素材まるごと100％しらすせんべい : Whitebite Chips, Sardine Chips
This is fish snacks made of only whitebites and salt. Whitebites, which is called shirasu (しらす) in Japanese, are Juveniles of sardines. It was my first time to try it. It was crispy and so good! It tasted like dried fish. :) However, I don't know if you like it because it smelled fishy.

100% Sardine Chips

2. うるめ丸干 : Dried Sardines
Believe it or not, these are delicious fish snacks. Urume (うるめ) is a type of sardines. You can eat the whole dried sardines including fish heads, tails and bones without cooking. It smells fishy slightly but tastes so good! If you are a seafood lover, you should try it. :)

Dried Sardines

3. お魚屋さんのみそ汁の具 : Ingredients for Shijimi Miso Soup
This is ingredients for miso soup such as dried wakame, fu, dried mekabu, dried green onion and dried freshwater clams, which is called shijimi (しじみ) in Japanese. In Japan, shijimi is well known for healthy foods, and shijimi miso soup is pretty popular there. Shijimi contains ornithine which improves liver function. In addition, natural succinic acid from shijimi creates umami flavor, so you can make delicious miso soup with this dried ingredients very easily. Just put water and a few tablespoons of these in a pot, and bring to a boil. Then add a few tablespoons of miso paste according to your taste. You can enjoy delicious shijimi miso soup at home. :)

Ingredients for Shijimi Miso Soup

4. 北海道産ほたて干し貝柱：Dried Scallops from Hokkaido
Dried Scallops are usually pretty expensive, but my husband loves them. You can eat them without cooking, or you can cook it with white rice and make scallop rice. You can also add them your favorite soup and make scallop soup.

Dried Scallops from Hokkaido

5. ホタルイカそのまま干しました！ : Dried Firefly Squids, Dried Sparkling Enope Squids
These are dried firefly squids, which is called hotaru ika (ホタルイカ) in Japanese. I will grill or broil them a little before eating them.

Dried Firefly Squids

6. 鮑磯煮：Simmered Abalones
This contains three abalones which were cooked with soy sauce, sake and so on. I've never tried it but looks so delicious. :)

Simmered Abalones

7. 鮭とば：Dried Salmons with Skin
Saketoba (鮭とば) is dried salmon with skins. I've never had them before. I will grill or broil them before eating. You can cut them in inches and broil them. Then just eat whole dried salmon, or cut them in small pieces and broil them, and add them over chazuke (茶漬け). You might want to remove salmon skins right before eating them.