You wouldn’t know it by the 34 degree days that continue into September but, summer is slowly on its way out. Temperatures (should) start to fall, a cool breeze whistles around the city and before you know it, the most comfortable and arguably the most beautiful season in Japan is upon us.
The Autumn fish “Sanma” (サンマ/秋刀魚) or “Saury / Mackerel pike” in English (to the few of us that have ever eaten this outside of Japan), start to appear in the supermarkets around the start of September and are eaten through until the beginning of the winter. The original Chinese characters used in the name actually mean “autumn knife fish” due to it’s thin, silvery, blade like appearance.
The long and pointed Sanma are usually grilled or barbecued with salt and are quite oily, thus popular in the cooler months. Due to the fatty nature of the meat, its popular (and delicious) to serve a freshly grill Sanma with Daikon Oroshi / 大根おろし (Grated white radish) and Ponzu / ポン酢 (a citrus sauce).
Some people choose to gut and head the fish before grilling but others leave it completely whole, leaving the bitter intestine inside. At first it sounds a little gruesome but you’d be surprised. The bitterness balances the salt and fat of the fish…if you can keep that thought without looking too hard at innards as you eat them.
If you haven’t already tried it, I personally recommend you do. It’s far and away my favourite cooked fish in Japan, I try to have it one a week during the Autumn. The flavour is lighter than Mackerel but richer than cod or salmon due to the oils and the meat is soft and white. Even if you’re no a fish lover (and I wasn’t) it really is difficult not to like.
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