Recipe
Prepping Fish for Sashimi but Making Sushi Instead!
Ingredients
- 1sculpin (purchased from Kakizaki Shoten for 960 yen)
- 1rockfish
- 1sailfin poacher
- Sushirice (shari), to taste (already prepared for nigiri sushi)
About "Sculpin, Rockfish, and Sailfin Poacher Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi"
In this video, a Hokkaido chef preps sculpin, rockfish, and sailfin poacher purchased from Kakizaki Shoten. For the sculpin, scraping off the slime with the back of a knife is crucial, and the head and innards can be used to make a flavorful sculpin soup. After cleaning the sailfin poacher with a scrub brush and filleting it into three pieces, the chef sees how beautiful and fatty the skinned flesh is and decides to change the menu from sashimi to nigiri sushi. In the next video, he plans to make authentic nigiri sushi using sushi rice.
Tips for Making "Sculpin, Rockfish, and Sailfin Poacher Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi"
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Prep
- The most important step for a delicious result is to thoroughly scrape off the slime from the sculpin's surface using the back of a knife.
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Prep
- When cutting off the sculpin's head, holding it by the eyes makes it easier to grip and work with.
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Prep
- Do not discard the sculpin's head and innards (stomach, liver, etc.); save them to make an exquisite broth for sculpin soup (hot pot) along with vegetables like daikon radish and carrots.
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Prep
- Thoroughly clean the surface of the sailfin poacher with a scrub brush before prepping.
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Fish Facts
- You can tell male and female sailfin poachers apart by their fin size. Males have large, magnificent fins, while females have smaller ones.
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Filleting
- After filleting the sailfin poacher into three pieces along the backbone, cleanly peel off the skin from the tail using your fingernails.
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Filleting
- After skinning, run your fingers carefully over the flesh to make sure no bones remain.
Ingredients for "Sculpin, Rockfish, and Sailfin Poacher Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi"
4 items* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon
How to Make "Sculpin, Rockfish, and Sailfin Poacher Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi"
- 1
[Sculpin Prep] Carefully scrape off all the slime from the surface of the sculpin using the back of a knife.
- 2
Hold the sculpin firmly by its eyes and cut off the head. Save the head for sculpin soup.
- 3
Cut open the belly, remove the innards (stomach, liver, etc.), and separate them into parts. The innards can also be used in the sculpin soup.
- 4
[Rockfish Prep] Carefully remove the scales and slime from the rockfish. Cleanly remove the fins and gills, then rinse with water to complete the prep.
- 5
[Sailfin Poacher Prep] Use a scrub brush to carefully clean any dirt off the surface of the sailfin poacher.
- 6
Spread the fins of the sailfin poacher to check if it is male or female (males have large, impressive fins).
- 7
Cut off the head of the sailfin poacher and fillet it into three pieces along the backbone.
- 8
Peel the skin off the filleted sailfin poacher, starting from the tail using your fingernails.
- 9
Run your fingers over the skinned fillets to carefully check for any remaining bones.
- 10
Check the condition of the flesh (fat content and firmness). If it is top-quality, decide to make nigiri sushi instead of sashimi. Shape into nigiri sushi using the prepared sushi rice.
Detailed Commentary on "Sculpin, Rockfish, and Sailfin Poacher Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Sculpin Prep and Attention to Detail
The chef begins prepping a large sculpin purchased from Kakizaki Shoten. He passionately explains that he suddenly craved sculpin soup, noting that while monkfish is delicious, nothing beats the flavor of sculpin. Joking that he will demonstrate with the skill level of a 'housewife' or a 'third-year apprentice,' he starts by carefully scraping off the unique slime from the sculpin's surface using the back of a knife. Thoroughly performing this prep is crucial to making the sculpin taste delicious. Mentioning that viewers probably remember this step since he has shown it many times, he still sticks to the basics and meticulously removes the slime.
Sourcing from Kakizaki Shoten & Small Talk
When discussing the price of the sculpin, the chef jokes, 'Was it about 300 yen?' only to be corrected by the camera crew, who point out it was 960 yen. He talks about how Kakizaki Shoten, where he sourced the fish, is always lively and staffed with amazing, professional people who look like handsome stars. Laughing, the chef praises their professional skills, saying, 'Maybe I should have just had them prep it for me there.' Before cutting off the sculpin's head, he tries to share a tip—that holding it by the eyes makes it easier to grip and work with—but shows his playful side by momentarily forgetting how to do it.
Prepping the Sculpin Head and Innards
Regaining his focus, he cuts off the sculpin's head. He explains that simmering this head with vegetables like daikon radish and carrots makes an incredible broth for sculpin soup (hot pot). Next, he cuts open the belly to remove the innards. While grumbling that he is getting older and sometimes finds prepping fish a bit tedious, he efficiently separates the stomach, liver, and other parts. With farm work also getting busy in the coming season, you can feel his enduring passion for cooking despite the physical demands.
Rockfish Prep and Memories of Otaru
Next, he moves on to prepping the rockfish (soi). While carefully removing its scales and slime, he mentions that both rockfish and sailfin poacher make exquisite sashimi. Here, the chef shares a story from a past visit to a hospital in Otaru. He cheerfully recalls how the hospital was somehow staffed entirely by beautiful nurses, making him too nervous to make eye contact. Liven up the atmosphere with small talk about how Otaru is famous for its beautiful women, he cleanly removes the rockfish's fins and gills, finishing up with a rinse.
How to Tell Male and Female Poachers Apart
Next, he preps the unique-looking sailfin poacher (hakkaku). After thoroughly scrubbing the surface with a brush, he spreads out its large fins. The chef explains how to distinguish between male and female sailfin poachers: males have large, magnificent fins that spread wide, while females have much smaller fins. The camera crew is impressed by the stunning pattern on the spread fins. Mindful of the cutting board's angle and the camera shot, he cuts off the head and cleanly fillets the fish into three pieces along the backbone.
A Sudden Change from Sashimi to Sushi
He cleanly peels the skin off the filleted sailfin poacher, starting from the tail using his fingernails. The skinned flesh is incredibly beautiful, fatty, and perfectly firm. After running his fingers over the meat to carefully check for any remaining bones, the chef looks at this premium quality and suddenly decides to change the menu: 'It would be a waste to just make sashimi out of this; let's make nigiri sushi!' Since he already has sushi rice (shari) prepared, he decides to tackle authentic sushi-making in the next video. To wrap things up, he happily gulps down a beer for a quick break.
About こぶしの板さん
こぶしの板さん
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