Raw
Fuku Sashi
Fuku sashi — paper-thin pufferfish sashimi arranged in a chrysanthemum pattern
Pufferfish sashimi is sliced so thin it becomes translucent, then arranged in a chrysanthemum pattern in this Shimonoseki dish. Locals call the fish "fuku," a homophone for good fortune, and eat it with citrus ponzu and scallion; the practice traces to 1888, when eating pufferfish was legalized in Yamaguchi alone.
- Origin: Yamaguchi
- About 830 km west of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Pufferfish sashimi is sliced so thin it becomes translucent, then arranged to fill the plate in a chrysanthemum pattern, in this dish from Shimonoseki. Served with scallion and grated daikon steeped in chili, alongside a citrus ponzu made from soy sauce and local citrus, the flesh's mild sweetness and springy bite come through. Because "fuku" is a homophone for good fortune, locals favor that name for the fish, and presentations range from the chrysanthemum arrangement to a crane-shaped plating called "tsurumori."
How it's made
The pufferfish is filleted, with bones and skin removed, then the flesh is sliced paper-thin and fanned out across the plate. It is served with pungent garnishes and a citrus ponzu made from local citrus such as ponkan or daidai mixed with soy sauce. Because certain organs of the fish, depending on the species, carry toxins, only a licensed chef may prepare it, and the license's name and testing requirements vary by prefecture.
Why it took this shape
Eating pufferfish was once banned after soldiers reportedly died from it, and the ban is said to have first been lifted within Yamaguchi before spreading elsewhere. The longline fishing method used for pufferfish is also said to have originated and been refined within the prefecture, a history that likely helped Shimonoseki become known as a major hub for the fish. Ordinary households are said to have long used it in everyday cooking too, including as a filling for miso soup.
Before you go
- 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.
- Food for Hinamatsuri and Tango no SekkuA guide to the chirashi sushi and hina-arare eaten at Hinamatsuri, and the kashiwa mochi and chimaki eaten at Tango no Sekku — festivals wishing for children's healthy growth.
Dishes in the same style
- 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.
- Amagi no KawatakeA rare wild freshwater algae, found only in the Kogane River in Asakura, is dressed with sweet or three-flavor vinegar — said to have once been presented to the shogun, and now conservation efforts continue as it's listed as endangered.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Yamaguchi
- Chikin Chikin GoboBite-size fried chicken and deep-fried burdock are tossed in a sweet soy glaze in this dish, born in Yamaguchi's school lunches. A nutrition teacher is said to have devised it around 1995 from recipes submitted by families, and its catchy, rhythmic name helped it spread into a statewide favorite.
- Chisha NamasuKakichisha, an heirloom crinkled lettuce grown around Shimonoseki, is torn by hand and tossed with vinegared miso, flaked grilled fish, or whitebait. It is said to have been devised by the Mori domain's people after being impoverished by the Battle of Sekigahara, and is also known as "chishamomi."
- Choshu KurokashiwaSaid to draw on the blood of Kurokashiwa, a natural-monument fowl native to Yamaguchi and Shimane, developed into a jidori by a Yamaguchi research station and finished and named by a poultry farm; reportedly free-ranged for 80–100 days.
- GobomakiLizardfish skin, a byproduct of making fish cakes, is wrapped around a skewer of burdock root and grilled with a basting sauce—a dish from Hagi. Because it uses lizardfish, prized for the region's grilled fish cakes, seafood processors often make the two together, and it is a fixture of festival and cherry-blossom bento.
- Gube JiruGube—small limpets, two to three centimeters across, gathered from rocky shores and breakwaters—are simmered into both the stock and the filling of this miso soup. It comes from Mishima, an island about 45 kilometers off Hagi's coast, where it was eaten not only by fishing families but by farming households near the shore.