Processed staples ── Nerimono (fish-paste products)
Ago Chikuwa
Ago Chikuwa — flying fish surimi grilled into a chikuwa with a crackling skin
Chikuwa made from the surimi of flying fish, called "ago" in Tottori. A knife through the firm grilled skin sends up a fragrant crackle, and it turns out darker than ordinary chikuwa. It's a taste of early summer, in season through the fish's spawning run from spring into summer.
- Origin: Tottori
- About 500 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Ago-chikuwa is a fish cake made from the paste of flying fish, known locally as "ago," setting it apart from ordinary chikuwa, which is usually made from walleye pollock, shark, or Atka mackerel. The grilled outer skin is firm enough to make a satisfying crack when cut with a knife, releasing a savory aroma, and the dense, chewy bite lets the full flavor of the fish come through. It is also noticeably darker in color than standard chikuwa.
How it's made
Flying fish paste is shaped and grilled slowly until the surface firms up. It is often eaten by tearing off pieces by hand or biting straight into it, ways of eating said to bring out its aroma and flavor best. It is also served with wasabi soy sauce or ginger soy sauce as a snack with sake, and it doubles as an ingredient or stock base for soups and other dishes. The contrast between the crisp grilled skin and the moist interior is part of its appeal.
Why it took this shape
Tottori calls flying fish "ago," a lean, mild, high-protein fish, and the name is said to appear in documents more than 400 years old. Its season runs from spring to summer around spawning time, and it is reported to be prized as a sign that early summer has arrived. The prefecture's ago fishing is said to use a distinctive method, luring the fish with white boards tied along a rope before scooping them up, landing both a smaller variety called "maruago" and a larger, more angular one called "kakuago."
Before You Go
- How to use a convenience storeA quick guide to choosing rice balls and hot snacks, buying coffee, paying by cash, IC card, or tap payment, using the eat-in corner, and sorting your trash — the basics for a first visit.
- How to shop in a depachika (department store food hall)A guide to browsing prepared foods and bento, choosing wagashi as a gift with a good shelf life, sampling etiquette, end-of-day discounts, asking for cold packs and wrapping, and finding your way around a depachika floor.
Dishes in the same style
- Ago-yakiAgo-yaki is Izumo noyaki made from flying-fish paste, fire-baked without a skewer. Its crackling surface and refined sweetness make it a favorite travel souvenir from Shimane.
- ArumadoA hard-boiled egg dyed pink is wrapped in fish paste and steamed into a kamaboko log that shows a pink-rimmed cross-section when cut — a Hirado specialty, with kin dishes called "arimado" in Sasebo and "ryugan" in Nagasaki.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Tottori
- Akagarei no KomaburiRoe-bearing red flounder is sliced into sashimi and tossed with its own boiled, crumbled eggs, a dish from around the Amijiro area of Iwami Town. Said to have descended from a similar dish made with crucian carp roe, it pairs rich eggs with mild, fatty winter flounder for festivals and New Year's.
- Azuki ZouniSoft round rice cakes are added to a broth of simmered red beans, the mainstream style of New Year's zoni in Tottori. Red beans have long been thought to ward off misfortune, and the dish is said to be simmered on New Year's morning with the year's first water and a purified flame, then shared among family.
- Daisen-doriA branded chicken said to be raised end-to-end, from breeding stock to processing, by producers at the foot of Mount Daisen — free-ranged longer than usual on an antibiotic-free feed aimed at balancing fat and flavor.
- Daisen OkowaShiitake, burdock, and chicken are cooked into sticky rice seasoned with soy, a dish from the foot of Mount Daisen. Said to trace back to warrior monks preparing it before battle to pray for victory, it was later served at the horse-and-cattle market by Daisen-ji temple and carried on into festivals and hospitality since.
- Daisen RubyBred at Tottori Prefecture's livestock station by crossing a sow of the oleic-acid-rich Daisen Akabuta line with a Berkshire boar, said to inherit both breeds' fat quality and tenderness.
- Dondoroke MeshiNamed for the crackling sound of tofu frying in hot oil, likened to thunder — "dondoroke" in local dialect — this is a rice dish from eastern and central Tottori. It's said to date to when each hamlet had its own tofu shack turning home-grown soybeans into tofu, using nothing but local ingredients.