This article was first published from the public account of the Japanese material stack (Japanese material stack, ID=RyoriStack), the porting layout is somewhat different, and the small partner who hopes to have a better reading experience can move to the public account yo ( • ̀ω • ́ ) ✧
Text: Bowl pills
Spring is here, let's talk about the male fish with butterfly fins as colorful and flowing as the wings of the protagonist special finfish. Seeing the exaggerated fins of the special-fin males, you may think of the flying fish we talked about earlier.
Flying fish classmates come to join in the fun. via：parody.wikia.com
But the fins of flying fish are used to "fly" (glide), while the fins of male special fins are used to "seduce sisters", which is a routine with peacocks.
A peacock classmate who is ready to invite her sister to drink coffee. via：pranitakocharekar.com
Of course, when we see the special fin (often called "octagonal fish" in domestic Japanese food stores) in the Japanese food store, it is no longer beautiful and has become a provocative look:
Special fin/octagonal fish. via：sabahiko.com
Late winter and early spring are the seasons of the Special Fin, so let's talk about its past and present lives.
1 special fin with octagon
Special fin (トクビレ/tokubire), [Podothecus sachi], Chinese called sailfin foot groove fish, from the genus Ofte grooves in the octagonal family Officinalis. As you can see in the video, because the second dorsal fin and fin of male special fins are larger, they are named special fins.
Male special fins. via：foodslink.jp
Compared to males, females have much smaller fins and are lighter in color than males. Males can reach a length of up to 50 cm, while females are only about 35 cm long. In short, in the world of special fins, the male fish is the more beautiful boy, and in the fish market, the male fish is also expensive.
Comparison of female [upper] and male [lower] special fins. via：twitter.com @toyosu_shijou
Compared with "special fins", Japanese foodies may be more familiar with the name "octagonal fish". Star anise, the Japanese kanji for "octagon" (ハッカク/hakkaku), is the same name as the spice "octagon".
Spice star anise. via：amazon.co.jp
The spice star anise is named because its fruit pods are mostly eight, so what is the name of the star anise? Because yes, the cross-section of this fish is octagonal.
If you don't find a picture of the cross-section of the special fin, even if you find it, it will be too bloody, or look at the appearance of different angles, and make up for it yourself.
So, what are the benefits of growing into an octagonal shape for the special fin? After all, most of the fish we are familiar with are not so angular. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to swim in the water with a smooth body?
Different fish have different survival strategies, and the choice of children in the octagonal family is: put on "armor".
Whether the armor is good or bad is quite important... via：gifimage.net
They have bone plates in their bodies and 8 protruding spines on the surface of their bodies, which are used by adult fish as defensive weapons to avoid being eaten by ferocious fish with small mouths, and to a certain extent, they can withstand the poking and crushing of terrible weapons such as crab claws.
Children in the octagonal family have bone plates and protruding spines. Pictured here is the skeleton of the harped octagonal fish [Agonopsis vulsa].
Wearing armor naturally requires sacrificing a certain amount of flexibility. Members of the juvenile octagonal family can wiggle their whole body and jump up and down in the water to prey on plankton. But after adulthood, their slightly heavier bodies sink to the bottom of the water and transform into well-behaved benthic fish, their bodies are stiff, mainly relying on the tail swing to exert power, looking like an old cadre...
Cadres. via: People's Daily
2 Not red with red
It's no surprise that many Japanese foodies may never have heard of special fins/octagonals, and even many people living in Japan's tokyo metropolitan area have only begun to understand octagonal fish since the 1990s. Why?
The special fin is fatty and delicious, and it is actually a very delicious white fish. But its "armor" limits human imagination. When handling the special fins, be careful to avoid being scratched by thorns.
Spiny spines of the special fins. via：sabahiko.com
If you make sashimi or sushi, you need to cut off the upper and lower fish skins and bone plates, then tear off the left and right fish skins and bone plates, and then cut off the fish meat in the daimyo cutting method.
It was so easy to deal with it, and it was really frustrating to find a heavy fish, and the last part that could be eaten was not more than two thin pieces of meat...
Once processed... via：sakanayanohow-to.com
The main source of special fins is Hokkaido, although a small amount can be caught in Aomori and Iwate prefectures. Hokkaido has so many fleshy fish, shrimp and crab shells, do you think Hokkaido people will care about the special fins that are particularly difficult to get?
Some of Hokkaido's products. via：visit-hokkaido.jp
As a result, Hokkaido people's attitude of fishing for special fins is quite casual, and many times they accidentally catch some special fins when they catch benthic fish such as flounder with bottom traction nets. Less meat is also meat, and if it comes, it will be eaten. Therefore, in the past, Hokkaido's special fins were all produced and sold inexpensively.
Happy drops boiled ~ via: sabahiko .com
After the 1990s, with the development of the aquatic logistics industry and media publicity, the special fin was actually a bit of a fire. Foodies in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Kansai have also heard of this fish with clean bones and good taste, so the price of special fins has also risen, especially the large male fish, which has become one of the high-class fish.
Male special fins indicate flattery. via：sumeshiya.com
Although special fins can be caught all year round, the best season is generally considered to be December-February.
3 The wisdom of the Hokkaido people
In the cold winter of Hokkaido, you should feel very happy if you can eat some grilled fish! However, the skin of the special fin fish has a thick bone plate inside, and the skin does not seem to be very good to bake, and it is very troublesome to peel. So, hokkaido people came up with a unique local dish: octagonal warship yaki (warship 焼き).
The octagonal warship burned. via：hitosara.com
Octagonal warship ware is to cut the special fin from the back, remove the internal organs, and apply a mixed sauce of miso, miso, sake and special fin liver to the fish meat, and then roast until it is caramelized. Does the special fin fish cut from the back look like a handsome warship?
The warship burns with the special fin first cut from the back, like this. via：cypselurus.exblog.jp
The practice of warship burning is simple and labor-saving for the pre-treatment of special fins, and the use of fish skin as a tool also looks more ritualistic. Moreover, the liver of the special fin is very fragrant, which is used to make the sauce and match the special fin fish meat, which is the icing on the cake.
In addition to grilling special fins with miso mixed with sauce, they can also be grilled with salt. In addition to grilling fresh fish, it can also be made into a special dried fin and grilled, which also has a unique flavor.
The special fins dried overnight. via：kameo.co.jp
In addition to grilling, it is also excellent to eat pots, boils, miso soups, or wet sauces made with special fins during the cold season.
Special fin tide juice. via：zukan-bouz.com
When talking about salmon, we mentioned that there is a unique way to eat salmon in the North Sea: frozen salmon sashimi (ルイべ, ruibe), which was invented by the ancient Ainu people. Hokkaido people also make special fins into ルイべ.
Of course, modern urbanites may prefer to make sashimi or sushi with fresh special fins. The sweet and fatty special fin sashimi, combined with the liver soy sauce made of special fin liver, is a good way to open.
Special fin sushi. via：ichii445.blog42.fc2.com
Some people think that the special fins are so unique, retaining the head, tail and fins, making a pose, which is also a scenery. I think... The special fin posture is a bit scary, and the degree of scariness is comparable to that of the flying fish posture.
Special fin posture. via：shikisai-sapporo.owst.jp
In addition to fish, the liver, stomach, ovaries and white seeds of the special fins can also be eaten, and the liver is particularly delicious.
Special fins of the liver. via：blog.goo.ne/hitaki99
Don't waste the skin and bones of the fish that are easily cut off, and fry them in the way of Tang Yang or Su Yang until they are crispy and used to accompany the wine, which will also make people happy.
Special fin fish skin Tang Yang. via：zukan-bouz.com
The above text content is original to the Japanese material stack; the picture comes from the network. If you need to reprint, please contact the public number [Japanese Material Stack] or [email protected].