Seafood ── Fish
Wakasagi
pond smelt — the fish of winter ice-hole fishing
A small lake fish famous as the target of winter ice-hole fishing. It schools densely in brackish lakes rich in plankton feed, and is eaten whole as tempura or in sweet vinegar nanban-zuke, bones and all.
- Freshwater fish
What it's made of
A small fish that schools densely in lakes, prized for bones soft enough to eat whole. In tempura, the flesh turns soft inside a crisp shell; in sweet vinegar nanban-zuke, the acidity folds in so smoothly the small bones barely register. Mild and white, it takes well to almost any preparation, and it's also simmered plain into a sweet glaze in some regions.
How it's made
Some lakes still keep alive the tradition of 'sailboat-net fishing', where small boats under sail drag nets across the water. Come winter, ice-hole fishing becomes a seasonal ritual, and the catch is typically eaten straight away as tempura or nanban-zuke. Lakeside stalls that fry the catch on the spot are themselves a familiar winter sight.
Why it took this shape
A brackish lake is rich in the plankton wakasagi feed on, letting it school densely, or so it's said. Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki keeps the sailboat-net tradition alive alongside its fishery, and lakes like the one in Chitose, Hokkaido, are known producers too. Winter ice-hole anglers across the country have long prized it as their target, and a lake's richness in nutrients is said to translate directly into the size of its schools.
Before you go
- How to shop at a supermarketHow to choose prepared foods, sashimi, and packaged sushi, when discount stickers tend to appear, region-only specialties, buying by weight, the checkout and bagging flow, and sampling etiquette at a local supermarket.
- Roadside stations, direct-sale stands, and marketsHow to enjoy buying food near where it's produced, visiting and shopping at morning markets and fish markets, what to expect at farm stands, and finding local food at roadside stations (michi-no-eki).
- Foods to look for in springA guide to foods often seen in Japan around spring — early bonito, bamboo shoots, sakura mochi, hanami bento, new-season tea, and butterbur sprouts — with rough pointers for finding them.
Dishes in the same style
- AyuA river fish that grazes algae off clean streambed stones, giving it a distinct watermelon-like scent. Salt-grilled and famously caught by tomo-zuri decoy fishing — the clearer the river, the more that scent is said to stand out.
- DojoA slender fish of paddy mud and streams, simmered whole in yanagawa-nabe hot pot or skewered plain and glazed sweet-savory. Hardy enough to survive poor water quality, it has long been an everyday fish even from canals near cities.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known for it here / Known source
- Known for it here: Ibaraki, Tsuchiura
The brackish Lake Kasumigaura is rich in plankton feed, and sailboat-net fishing traditions have long supported its smelt catch.
- Known source: Hokkaido, Chitose