After the New Year, I returned to my family's home in Shikala...
Accompanied by my father, I visited "Saito Fishing Pond".
In the fishing holes, you can catch fish and have them cooked for consumption. However, during winter, it's only available for take-out.
Those who find it troublesome to catch fish individually can use the Tamo. It allows them to quickly prepare the caught fish and take them home with them.
The premises have several fish pens where the fish are sorted into categories such as "rockfish," "rainbowfish," and "eight-eyed eel"... And there's also a place where caviar is harvested from "chōzame" (it's not clear whether it's suitable for fishing).
And, there are still more to come... In the "Fish" section, it says "Devil" and "幻の淡水魚 いとう" (untranslatable).
This "いとう" is said to grow up to 1.5 meters in size and is known for preying on snakes. However, it is cultivated in large quantities here, and its vigor makes it seem almost like a "illusion"—something that seems too perfect to be real. It swims around vigorously, leaving one wondering if it's not just an illusion after all.
そして…到着後、車から降りてすぐに店内に入った父は、「小さめのニジマスをください」と宣言しました。
Immediately, a man held a net and caught one carp in front of the fishpond. With his left hand, he held the head of the fish, while using the broken stick in his right hand to repeatedly strike the head of the carp.
Holding the limped carp in his arms, he said, "Please wait for a moment," and disappeared into the inside of the restaurant.
After that, the pike was measured, and the price was set at 1 kg = 1,800 yen.
The payment was around 2,500 yen, so the weight was about 1.3 kilograms.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, when it's ready, they will even drive the food to you.
Brought back, and when taken out of the plastic bag, there were two packages of newspaper that were tied with tape.
One of them is written in magic, using the character "アラ".
The fence has four pieces: two at the back and two at the sides. In addition, there are parts for the head, spine, and other necessary components.
The fence is used for sashimi, and ala prepares the soup.
Please.
The sashimi has a firm texture with excellent freshness, and there is no odor whatsoever. It's absolutely fresh... Unfortunately, the knife used at my family's home is not sharp enough, resulting in the fish being too thick. If it could be thinned and turned into pressed sushi or hand-rolled sushi, that would be fantastic. It's extremely regrettable.
Of course, there was not a single hint of odor in this dish, and it was delicious.
Next time I return to my hometown, I would like to try again with a Yanagi kitchen knife.
Half of it is pressed sushi, and half of it seems to be butter-baked.
Thank you for your hospitality.
