Rice dishes ── Sushi
Sumoji
Sumoji — a scattered sushi of whole-grilled mackerel
Whole mackerel, skewered and grilled over charcoal in Unnan's Kisuki and Mitoya districts, is flaked and folded into vinegared rice for this scattered sushi — grilling said to have begun as a way to keep the fish from spoiling in transit.
- Origin: Shimane Unnan
- About 630 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Sumoji is a chirashi-zushi made by grilling a whole mackerel slowly on a bamboo skewer until charred, flaking the meat, soaking it in vinegar, and mixing it into vinegared rice — a specialty of the Kisuki and Mitoya districts of Unnan. The smoky aroma from the char sharpens the appetite, and shredded egg crepe and chopped nori are the standard finishing touches.
How it's made
A whole mackerel is skewered on bamboo and grilled slowly until it chars. The grilled flesh is picked from the bones and flaked, with the fatty gill area removed, then soaked in a vinegar mixture. Rice cooked slightly firm with a portion of mochi rice mixed in becomes the base, and the flaked mackerel is scattered through it and mixed in. Carrot, dried shiitake, bamboo shoot, and dried gourd shavings simmered sweet and savory in dashi are often mixed in as well, finished with a scattering of shredded egg crepe and chopped nori.
Why it took this shape
Shimane is said to land a large annual catch of mackerel, fattened by the cold, rough waters of the Sea of Japan. Before the Meiji era, without reliable preservation or transport methods, grilling the fish before shipping it is said to have been the way to carry it farther without spoiling. Mackerel landed on the Sea of Japan coast passed through the Kisuki and Mitoya districts of Unnan, a hub linking Izumo to Hiroshima, and sumoji is thought to have grown from the everyday wisdom of preserving a fish that spoiled quickly.
Before you go
- How to read a vertical menuIn shops with strips of handwritten menu items on the wall, the top-right spot is often used for recommendations.
- 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 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.
Dishes in the same style
- Aburi-zushiNigiri with just its surface flash-seared by torch or hot iron. Unlike Edomae's shigoto curing for keeping, the searing here is done purely for the change in aroma and fat it brings — a relatively recent way of eating sushi.
- Aichi HakozushiVinegared rice is packed into a wooden frame, topped with shrimp, eel, shiitake, and egg arranged diagonally, and pressed. Placing toppings on the diagonal so everyone gets a fair share of each is said to be a feature of the Owari and western Mikawa style, made for celebrations.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Shimane
- 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.
- 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.
- Akagai Garan MushiArk shell clams from Lake Nakaumi are steamed in their shells in a soy-seasoned broth, also known as akagai no kara-mushi. The name 'garan' is said to come either from a slurred 'kara' (shell) or the rattling sound made while rinsing the shells — a dish long kept for New Year's.
- Azuki ZoniRound mochi sit in azuki beans simmered with a light hand on the sugar, closer in taste to a thin zenzai than a dessert. In the Izumo area some households eat a clear zoni on New Year's Day, then switch to this one from the second.
- Bakudan OnigiriA large round rice ball is wrapped entirely in lightly toasted, soy-brushed rock nori from Oki — its bold look earning it the name 'bakudan,' or bomb. It travels well in lunch boxes and as an everyday snack.
- Dojo Kenchin JiruLoach is simmered with burdock, daikon, and shiitake in a clear soy broth in Yasugi, said to embody the old saying that one loach is worth one eel for stamina — traditionally eaten after washing the mud off from rice planting.