Local Akita fish delicacy cleaned by high schoolers for younger students

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:30 JST, July 6, 2021

OGA, Akita — Elementary and junior high students in Oga, Akita Prefecture, got an “all-from-Oga” treat for their school lunches: red sea bream caught in the city. High school students in the city cleaned the fish, which were then deep-fried and seasoned with shottsuru fish sauce, another city delicacy.

The local fishery company Daishimadaibo caught about 400 kilograms of red sea bream and provided them to the school children.

Twenty-two students at Oga Kaiyo High School, specializing in fishery education, then cut about 130 red sea breams into fillets.

“It was a good experience for the students because they didn’t have the opportunity to clean such a big fish, at about 60 centimeters, in training,” said one of the school’s teachers, Hidetoshi Otaka.

At Oga Minami Junior High School, 96 students were served deep-fried red sea bream in the school cafeteria.

“This is my first time eating deep-fried red sea bream caught in Oga,” said student Aito Kato, 14. “It’s chewy and delicious.”

Shottsuru is made from red sea bream caught in Oga and processed by the city’s fish sauce-maker, Moroi Jouzoujo.

“It is a good opportunity for the children to learn about food from our prefecture and get an idea of local production for local consumption,” said Yuko Miyata, 37, the school’s nutrition educator.