Recipe
Too Many Style-Over-Substance Tessa (Fugu Sashimi) | If It's Too Tough, It's a Lack of Skill (Part 1)
Ingredients
- Wildtiger pufferfish (torafugu, ideally 2 kg or more)
About "Fugu Sashimi (Tessa)"
A veteran Japanese chef explains how to slice authentic tessa (fugu sashimi) that is easy to chew and brings out natural sweetness, rather than just looking good. Key techniques include reverse-slicing to cut through muscle fibers, portioning the flesh (tenpane), and slicing to the perfect thinness and length. He also shares professional secrets for blanching the skin at different temperatures depending on its thickness and chilling it to tighten the texture.
Tips for Making "Fugu Sashimi (Tessa)"
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Prep
- Portioning (tenpane) the fugu fillet reduces the number of tough fibers, making it easier to cut through them using the reverse-slicing technique.
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Slicing Technique
- Slicing long and thin using the reverse-slicing technique makes the fugu easy to chew and brings out its natural sweetness.
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Aging Assessment
- Freshly caught fugu is too tough to eat, so it must be properly aged and sliced to the appropriate thinness.
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Skin Prep
- Since different parts like the white skin, black skin, and toutoumi have varying thicknesses, blanch them separately according to thickness, then chill to tighten.
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Slicing Skin
- Blanched skin tends to curl; slicing vertically against the direction of the curl makes it much easier to eat.
Ingredients for "Fugu Sashimi (Tessa)"
1 items* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon
- Wildtiger pufferfish (torafugu, ideally 2 kg or more)
How to Make "Fugu Sashimi (Tessa)"
- 1
Portioning (Tenpane) the Fugu Fillet
Check the direction of the muscle fibers on the filleted fugu. Place the head end facing away from you and the tail end toward you. For a large fugu weighing over 2 kg, divide the fillet into about three portions to reduce the number of tough fibers remaining in each slice.
- 2
Assessing the Aging
Freshly caught fugu is too tough to eat, so it must be aged for a certain period. Adjust the thickness of the slices based on the degree of aging. Be careful, as slicing it too thick will make it difficult to chew.
- 3
Slicing the Flesh Using Reverse-Slicing
Using a yanagiba (sashimi knife), slice the portioned fillets into long, thin pieces. Slicing in reverse (gyaku-biki) cuts through the remaining tough fibers, resulting in a tender texture that easily releases its natural sweetness when chewed.
- 4
Blanching the Fugu Skin by Thickness
Fugu skin consists of white skin (belly side) and black skin (back side). The areas where spikes were removed are thin, while other areas remain thick, making the thickness uneven. For a professional finish, separate the skin by thickness and blanch them separately at different water temperatures.
- 5
Chilling and Tightening the Skin
Place the blanched fugu skin between flat containers, weigh it down with a press, and chill it thoroughly in the refrigerator to tighten. This process creates an easy-to-eat texture.
- 6
Slicing the Skin
Blanched skin tends to curl up when heated. Slicing vertically against the direction of the curl prevents it from rolling up in the mouth, making it much easier to eat.
Food Science
Through aging (enzymatic reactions) after rigor mortis, wild tiger pufferfish (torafugu) undergoes autolysis, breaking down proteins and increasing umami compounds such as inosinate. Furthermore, because fugu flesh has dense collagen fibers and is extremely tough, slicing it paper-thin using advanced knife skills transforms its intense elasticity into a pleasant, chewy texture. This makes it easy to chew while allowing the palate to readily perceive its rich umami.
Detailed Commentary on "Fugu Sashimi (Tessa)"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Fugu Sashimi Basics & "Reverse-Slicing"
A master chef with 50 years of experience in Japanese cuisine discusses fugu sashimi (tessa). Fugu flesh has very prominent muscle fibers; simply slicing it thin will still result in a tough, rubbery texture. The chef emphasizes, "If you can't cut through the fibers, you can't truly enjoy fugu sashimi." While people often showily scoop up a large bunch of fugu sashimi with chopsticks, wild torafugu (tiger pufferfish) cannot be chewed that way. The authentic way to enjoy fugu is to take two or three thin slices, wrap them around green onions, dip them in ponzu, and chew slowly to release the natural sweetness. Regulars at the chef's restaurant rave about his fugu, saying, "The master's fugu is so easy to eat, and the sweetness comes out the more you chew."
The "Tenpane" Portioning Technique
An essential technique for delicious fugu sashimi is "tenpane," which refers to portioning the filleted fugu flesh. The chef uses a styrofoam model to clearly demonstrate this process as if it were a real fugu on a cutting board. The muscle fibers run diagonally through the fugu flesh. By placing the head end away from you and the tail end toward you, you can cut the knife through to sever these fibers. For a large fugu weighing over 2 kg, the fillet is portioned (tenpane) into about three pieces. Slicing a whole large fillet at once might be easier, but it won't yield delicious fugu sashimi. The professional technique involves arranging the portioned fillets counterclockwise so all the fibers run in the same direction, then slicing them using a long-bladed yanagiba knife.
The Importance of Aging Fugu
What determines the deliciousness of fugu sashimi is judging the "aging" of the flesh. Freshly caught, lively fugu has highly elastic flesh (before rigor mortis sets in) and is too tough to eat immediately; it must be aged for a certain period. The chef uses flounder (hirame) as an example: flounder can be enjoyed fresh as thin-sliced sashimi (usu-tsukuri), or aged and cut into thick slices. However, fugu does not work the same way. He shares an anecdote about eating thickly sliced shousai-fugu (vermiculated pufferfish) in the past, which felt like chewing gum that stayed in his mouth forever. He explains that fugu will never taste good unless you assess its aging and slice it to the perfect thinness.
Three Secrets to Slicing Fugu Sashimi
Showing a cooking video of himself slicing wild torafugu, the chef explains the secrets to slicing tessa. The three key points are: "slice long," "slice thin," and most importantly, "reverse-slice." By portioning (tenpane) the flesh, you reduce the number of tough fibers remaining in each slice, minimizing the fiber cross-sections. Performing a reverse-slice in this state yields exquisite fugu sashimi that is easy to chew and releases deep umami and sweetness with every bite. "You might think this old man is being overly meticulous," the chef says with confidence backed by years of experience, "but please try mimicking this method just once. It makes the fugu truly delicious."
Blanching Secrets for Delicious Fugu Skin
In fugu cuisine, "skin sashimi" is just as important as the flesh. To make the fugu skin delicious, simply blanching it is not enough; you must cook it thoroughly to soften and "rehydrate" it. Fugu skin consists of white skin (belly side) and black skin (back side), from which the surface spikes are removed. However, the areas where spikes are removed become thin, while the spike-free areas remain thick, resulting in uneven thickness even within a single piece of skin. If you blanch them all together in the same pot, they will cook unevenly, ruining the texture. The chef points out, "When eating out, I often find restaurants that handle the skin poorly." He explains that a professional's commitment lies in cutting the skin according to thickness and blanching them separately.
Tightening the Skin & Handling "Toutoumi"
Once blanched, the fugu skin must be pressed between flat containers with a weight and thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator to tighten. Slicing also requires care: since fugu skin curls when heated, slicing vertically against the direction of the curl prevents it from rolling up in the mouth, making it easier to eat. The chef also explains the "toutoumi" section, which lies inside the white and black skins. Because toutoumi has gelatinous, muscular flesh attached, it requires a different blanching method than other parts of the skin. Since it contains raw flesh, leaving it soaked in water after blanching can cause it to spoil quickly and develop an odor, so caution is needed. The chef concludes that accumulating these meticulous, detailed steps is the minimum level of care a chef should show to serve truly delicious fugu to customers.
About 大将に聞いてみた!
大将に聞いてみた!
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