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Akita Prefecture

Hatahata zushi

Hatahata zushi
Related images

These images of local cuisine may not be downloaded.

  • Image provided by : "Akita Gouji Fudoki" (Akita Prefecture Council of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Village Lifestyle Research Groups)

  • Image provided by : Miura Yonetaro Shoten

  • Image provided by : Akita Prefecture Tourism Federation

Main lore areas

All over the prefecture, mainly along the coast

Main ingredients used

grouper, rice, malted rice, carrots, hunori

History/origin/related events

Originally a deep-sea fish, hata-hata originally came to be called hata-hata because they appear in large schools in nearby waters only during their spawning season, when the sea is rough and thunder rumbles, hence the name "hatahatagami," an old word for thunderbolt. It is also known as the thunderfish. Hata-hata is sung in the folk song "Akita Ondo," and is so deeply rooted in the lives of the people of the prefecture that it is said, "I can't celebrate the New Year without hata-hata. In the past, the annual catch of hatahata used to exceed 10,000 tons, but overfishing and changes in the temperature of the Sea of Japan have reduced the catch, and now it is regarded as a luxury fish. As is typical of Akita, a rice-producing region, hata-hata sushi, made with rice and plenty of malted rice, is an essential part of Akita's food culture among hata-hata dishes. There are slight differences in the method of preparation depending on the region. The method of immediately marinating hatahata in salt has been handed down from generation to generation. The method of soaking the grouper in water for a while to remove the sliminess and blood before processing it is a method that produces grouper sushi with a clean taste and no odor, with just the right amount of sweetness from the malted rice. This method has been handed down to the present day.

Opportunities and times of eating habits

Ippiki zushi is made by removing the head, gills, and entrails of the hatahata and pickling it for Omisoka (New Year's Eve) and New Year's Day offerings.

How to eat

Wash and cut the hatahata into bite-sized pieces, and marinate them in vinegar water with seasonings for 3 days. Put the pieces of bamboo grass, rice with sesame seeds, hatahata, carrots, ふのり, and yuzu (yuzu citrus) in this order, and let them ferment in a refrigerated room.

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of the people who have passed on the tradition, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)
Hatahata grouper fishing is famous along the Iwadate coast in Yamori, but also flourishes at the Hirasawa fishing port in Ninomiya City. Currently, only two shops, Miura Yonetaro Shoten and Nagata Shoten, which have specialized in grouper wholesale since the Meiji Era, continue to make grouper using the traditional, purely homemade method.

RECIPE

Ingredients (Easy-to-make portions)

  • Hata Hata Grouper 10kg
  • Vinegar 500cc
  • Salt 100cc
  • Yuzu and ginger As desired
  • Rice (to be cooked) 1.5kg
  • Mainly soaked in malted rice 400g
  • Salt 110g
  • Sake 1 gou
  • Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine) 1 gou
  • Sasa leaves 70 pieces (10 pieces x 7 steps)
  • Carrot 4
  • Pickled] Nanban 10pcs.
  • Pickled Funori (seaweed) 1 bag (15g)

How to cook

  • 1. Preparation
    Remove the head, entrails and tail from the grouper.

  • 2. Wash in cold water with salt (not included) to remove the sliminess.

  • 3. Soak in plenty of cold water for three days and nights to drain the blood. Change the water twice a day, morning and evening.

  • 4. Cut the bleached grouper into 2 or 3 equal pieces and soak in cold water for another day and night.

  • 5. Drain off the water and soak the grouper in a colander with a light weight (about 2 kg). Add yuzu and ginger if desired.

  • 6. Prepare the ingredients for "Hon-zuke" (main pickling).

  • 7. Remove the cooked rice from the heat, mix in the koji for "Hon-zuke" and keep warm for 2 to 3 hours in a warm place.

  • 8. Spread bamboo grass leaves evenly in a vat, spread the mixture of salt, sake, mirin and 7. of the "Hon-zuke" and lay the hatahata on the vat flat.

  • 9. Stack 8. alternately and cover with bamboo grass leaves at the end, weigh down (5-6 kg) and leave for 2 days.

  • 10. When the water rises, add weights up to 25-30 kg.

  • 11. Ferment in a cool place for about 3 weeks.

  • 12. When it has matured after tasting, discard the rising water in the vat, drain completely with paper towels, divide into 200g portions, and store in the refrigerator.

provider : “Akita Kyomi(=local cuisine) Fudoki” (Akita Prefecture Rural Life Research Group Council)

* Recipes vary depending on the region and home.