Harako Meshi

Fresh salmon roe, called harako, is marinated in sake and soy sauce and piled generously over freshly cooked rice in this dish from the Soma and Hamadori coastal area. The roe's popping texture and the savoriness of the marinade fill the mouth with each bite, it's said. It's typically paired with momijijiru, a soup of salmon, konnyaku, and taro, it's said.

Roe is removed whole in its sac from fresh salmon, the thin membrane carefully peeled away, and then marinated in sake and soy sauce, the basic method. The marinated roe is piled generously over freshly cooked rice, it's said. Some households make a larger batch, keep it refrigerated, and eat it over several meals, it's said.

The rivers around Matsukawaura and the Hamadori coast are known as a spawning ground salmon swim up in autumn, and the Ukedo River in particular is said to have been the first place in Fukushima to try artificial salmon hatching. Marinating the roe in soy sauce and serving it over rice is thought to be a way of making full use of the autumn salmon harvest, and the dish is said to have taken root in the area.