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The Yomiuri Shimbun Dried Atami cherry salmon raised on food mixed with juice from dai-dai orange, served with a selected cocktail
By Ryo Kato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
13:45 JST, December 15, 2024
Himono, or salted dried fish, is considered a simple, unpretentious food that is usually grilled and eaten as is. Now the food can be served with some added twists in trendy restaurants or eaten as a fish burger.
Himono Bar, a pop-up that recently had a run in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, served dried fish in a stylish way at an indoor cafe with a seaside atmosphere. The cafe’s floor was covered with white sand and customers enjoyed the view of Sagami Bay through large windows.
The bar served dried Atami dai-dai sakura masu, which is cherry salmon raised on food mixed with juice from dai-dai orange, a specialty of Atami. After the fish was grilled, it was placed on a plate and covered with a smoking cloche to infuse the fish until it is served.
A cocktail of whiskey and tangerine juice was recommended to accompany the dish.
A 33-year-old female customer from Tokyo said after tasting the dish with the drink: “It’s so elegant that it’s hard to believe it’s dried fish. I rarely eat dried fish, but this was so delicious that even my perception of it changed.”
The bar was only open until the end of November and was in the cafe of Risonare Atami, a hotel operated by Hoshino Resorts Inc.
The hotel has been holding events related to dried fish, a local specialty, since 2019 to promote it among customers and help them rediscover the food’s appeal. Since last year, the bar has been serving dishes and drinks that highlight new aspects of dried fish.
“Autumn is the best season to make dried fish as the fish is fatty. It has a concentrated umami flavor when dried,” said Kento Kataoka of the hotel. “We hope our customers will experience the new potential of dried fish in our stylish space through dishes with a new flair.”
Dried fish burger
Courtesy of Himono Stand Hayase A fish burger made with soy sauce-flavored dried mackerel
Himono Stand Hayase, a restaurant in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, offers dried fish burgers. The restaurant was opened in 2021 by Hiromi Hayase, a member of the family that runs Hayase Kohachi Shoten, a 112-year-old dried fish store.
The burgers feature dried aji horse mackerel and soy sauce-flavored dried saba mackerel. Each is deep-fried and seasoned with a special sauce. The store also sells bento box lunches, which contain dried fish grilled over a charcoal fire and served on rice.
“Some people don’t eat dried fish at home very often because of the smoke from grilling it,” Hayase said. “I want to make my restaurant a casual place for people to enjoy dried fish.”
Echizen Takaraya, a long-established dried fish store in Fukui City, shares recipes on YouTube and its own website for various Japanese and Western-style dishes using dried fish.
Courtesy of Echizen Takaraya Acqua pazza with dried fish
Acqua pazza made with overnight-dried akagarei flatfish can be prepared simply by simmering it with clams and cherry tomatoes. The recipes are mainly for Western dishes, such as confit made from whole dried sardines, and dried hokke, a mackerel-like fish, grilled with cheese in cooking foil.
“Dried fish is already seasoned, so it’s easy to use and decide the flavor of the dish using it,” said Yuki Hoyama, who works at the store. “I hope people will enjoy eating dried fish in various ways other than just grilling it.”
Ikki Nagasaki, a specialist in fish-eating culture who actively promotes the culture, said: “In the past, fish that could not be eaten raw turned into dried fish. These days, dried fish is often made from fish that is larger and tastes better.
“Compared to raw fish, dried fish is easier to cook and produces less waste. It is suitable for home cooking, especially for people who don’t have much time to cook. I think dried fish will become even more popular in the future.”
According to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry statistics, the production of dried fish declined from 222,460 tons in 2002 to 115,139 tons in 2022. It has been declining by about 5,000 to 10,000 tons per year. However, in the last two years, the decline has not been as bad.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, dried fish has come into the limelight as it’s easy to cook,” Nagasaki said.
