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Buri Daikon
Buri daikon — yellowtail simmered with daikon radish
Fatty winter yellowtail trimmings are simmered slowly with thick-cut daikon and kelp stock, the fish's richness said to soak into the radish — a dish that carries the prized status yellowtail holds at New Year and in gift-giving.
- Origin: Ishikawa
- About 300 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Fatty yellowtail collar and bone simmered slowly with daikon radish. Yellowtail caught deep in winter is said to carry so much fat that it can repel soy sauce when eaten raw, and the richness from the bony cuts sinks thoroughly into the radish. Glossy with broth, the daikon turns soft and crumbly, its flavor so thoroughly infused with the fish's savor that it is said to be hard to put the chopsticks down.
How it's made
The yellowtail's collar and cuts are quickly blanched and plunged into ice water to remove the scales. The fish, daikon, and kelp for stock are simmered together, seasoned with sake, ginger, and sugar, then left to cook slowly under a drop-lid. Peeling the daikon thick and scoring the flesh is said to help the flavor soak in; a pile of julienned ginger on top at the end adds color.
Why it took this shape
Yellowtail, a fish that changes its name as it grows, is said to have long been treated as an auspicious gift for year-end celebrations and presents. In the Edo period it is said to have been prized enough to be offered to the local lord, with ordinary people rarely able to taste it, yet today this dish of bony cuts simmered with daikon has taken root widely as a familiar household favorite.
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.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Agonoko UmaniThe roe of egg-bearing flying fish, caught only in early summer, is simmered in stock and soy sauce as an Oki bar snack. Its large grains and dense, sticky texture are prized as a delicacy said to be scarcer even than the fish's flesh.
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Ishikawa
- AimazeRoot vegetables from Noto's reddish soil are cut into thin strips and simmered with fried tofu — traditionally made ahead for New Year and other special days, with the choice of vegetables shifting from village to village.
- Beka NabeSardines pickled in rice bran are simmered with napa cabbage, mushrooms, and sake lees in this Noto winter hot pot, said to descend from a preservation method from before refrigeration — its name reputedly a nod to how commonly the cheap fish was eaten.
- Daikon-zushiA fermented sushi from the Kaga region layering daikon radish with dried herring in rice koji. Said to have taken root once herring carried by the Kitamae trading ships reached ordinary tables, it now sits alongside kaburazushi as a New Year staple.
- EbisuMelted agar is mixed with beaten egg, sugar, and soy sauce, then set — said to trace back to an egg-and-agar dish recorded in an Edo-period cookbook, nicknamed "berobero" for its glossy, slippery look, and served on festive occasions.
- Goshiki NamagashiFive kinds of mochi and buns, each representing sun, moon, mountain, sea, and village, are arranged in a lidded box — a Kanazawa wedding confection said to trace back to a gift prepared for a Kaga domain bride, still handed out as a return gift at celebrations.
- UFO RamenA bowl from Hakui, Ishikawa, a town known for its UFO-sighting lore, served under the local Hakui UFO Gourmet banner. Sushi shops and Western-style diners alike top a soy-based broth with saucer-shaped garnishes, each putting its own spin on the town's story.