Eating Japan Part 3 – Sashimi – Alive and Kicking

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If you look closely at the photo above you will see, on the left hand side, the head and skeleton of a mackerel.  The mackerel’s flesh is neatly arranged to one side.  The head and the bones are included on the plate not to be eaten, but to show how fresh the fish is, and this is neatly demonstrated in the video below, which shows that the flesh was removed while the fish was alive – one of our party, who was new to Japanese food, said that it was a little disconcerting to see the head “nodding and winking” at us while we ate. This is sashimi, whose literal translation is “fresh slice”.  There’s never any doubting the freshness, even in the cheapest joint.  As with so much Japanese food it is served with a dipping sauce, in this case, shoyu (soy). Sometimes the fish can be a challenge, as with whale blubber, when the salty taste of the soy sauce can very helpfully disguise the taste of the fish.

As no cooking is involved the chef showing his skill is the presentation, known as otsukuri, which is always helped along by a little nodding and winking.  The cost?  From £6 to £60, with no discernible difference to western eyes between the two.