Enjoy straw-baked bonito tataki, a dish that even Kochi Prefecture residents come to eat!
I participated in a press tour of Kochi Prefecture organized by JR Shikoku, visiting places associated with plant taxonomist Tomitaro Makino, the model for the NHK TV series “Ranman” to be broadcast in spring 2023, and boarding JR Shikoku’s sightseeing train “Shikokudosa Toki no Yoake no Monogatari: Kiramekino no Sho. The train is a luxurious journey.
The first stop on the charter bus was Kure Taisho-machi Market, famous for its bonito, within walking distance from JR Shikoku’s Tosa-Kure Station. The market is said to be “where people from Kochi Prefecture come all the way to eat bonito,” and is bustling with tourists and other visitors every day.
Kure, Nakatosa Town, where the Kure Taisho-machi Market is located, is a town where “single-line fishing for bonito” has continued for more than 400 years, and the practice has been handed down from generation to generation. Boats along the coast of Kure depart from the port of Kure at night and start fishing at dawn, depending on the season and fishing grounds, sometimes fishing for two hours and then taking a two-hour break, or continuing fishing without a break when the fishing is good. After returning to port at night, the fish are carefully landed one by one by hand and kept fresh in tanks with ice to be auctioned off the next morning.
The restaurants that handle skipjack at the Kure Taisho-machi Market have professionals who determine the freshness of the fish at the auction, quickly cut the fish, look at the texture of the meat, and touch it to determine the ideal texture of “elastic but not hard. They always keep the purchased bonito cold, and cut it as quickly as possible before delivering it to customers. This is the reason why Kure’s bonito is so delicious.
The group then went to “Tanaka Fresh Fish Restaurant” to enjoy the best straw-baked bonito tataki prepared by a bonito sommelier who knows bonito inside and out. Here, we also experienced the experience of grilling bonito on straw mats. The outside of the fish was grilled twice over a flame with the unique aroma of straw. Finally, it was time to eat.
We enjoyed two kinds of bonito: sashimi and tataki. It is said that “it takes 8 years to broil and 3 years to grill,” but at Kure, overcooking is strictly prohibited as the freshness of the bonito is very important! Ideally, the outside of the bonito should be grilled to a thin thickness of 1-2 mm, while the inside should be kept fresh. We enjoyed the vivid contrast of the grilled red meat as well as the visual pleasure of tasting it.
In addition, visitors can enjoy various bonito related products such as “bonito monaka” from Nishimura Confectionery and “bonito yogi” from Takebayashi Kimono Shop.
© Source travel watch
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