Seasonal Japanese Seafood - Katsuo Skipjack Tuna

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.

Gluten-free Croutons 焼き油揚げ

I love croutons. But on somedays I can feel myself overdosing on carbohydrates. That's when I like to *grill a slice of abura-age (deep-fried tofu) until crispy, julienne, and add to a salad. These are easier than making croutons from scratch. And most of us could use the soy. I especially like these tofu croutons when dressing the salad with a Japanese wafu dressing.

When shopping for abura-age be sure to buy the thin deep-fried tofu. There is also a thick verision, called atsu-age, which will not give you these crispy pieces.

*alternatively, pop in the toaster oven

Harumi Kurihara Inspired Carrot Salad 栗原はるみ人参サラダ

NHK recently had a nice program on cookbook author Harumi Kurihara. She talked a dish that was one of her family favorites, this very simple carrot salad. Crunchy julienned carrots with slivers of onions, canned tuna, and a simple vinaigrette. It's quick to assemble and was a hit at our dinner table. I am sure that we will be making this again in the future, especially as the ingredients are always on hand. I didn't include the garlic and liked it that way. She also suggests microwaving the carrots and onions and garlic for a minute but I was looking for a dish more like a cole slaw so skipped that step. This recipe is translated from a recipe I found online.

1 carrot julienned
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1 can of tuna
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)

1 Tbsp. salad oil
1 Tbsp. grain mustard
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
soy sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Make the dressing of salad oil, mustard, vinegar and season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the carrots, onions, and tuna. Dress with salad dressing, toss, and serve.