Our ability to obtain fruits, vegetables, and seafood regardless of the season is a very recent phenomenon. Before modern refrigeration and transportation technologies, people had no choice but to eat what was available at the time.
People living in temperate regions, where fresh food is available throughout the year, can depend on seasonal produce alone. But in many parts of the world, due to climate or topography, it is hard to secure food for long periods during the year. This necessity drove people to develop preserves. A wide variety of techniques, such as fermenting, drying, or smoking perishable foodstuffs, are used to make preserves. Even today, many kinds of preserves are being formulated and produced all over the world.
This series is a journey that explores the mastery of preserves and the wisdom of everyday living, which form the foundation of food cultures. In Part 3, we look at dried fish, or himono, which have been eaten since antiquity.
▶Part 2: Tsukudani Nihonbashi Funasa, Tokyo
▶Part 4: Shuto (Fish Innards Pickled in Salt) — Shiino Foods, Odawara, Kanagawa
A traditional Japanese taste that even Hikaru Genji, the Imperial playboy, enjoyed
Drying freshly caught seafood reduces its water content and extends how long it can be preserved. The process of drying fresh food to preserve it may well be the earliest culinary wisdom developed by humankind.
In Japan, remains of dried fish and shellfish have been found in shell mounds from the Jomon period (circa 14,000 to 300 BCE), and mentions of himono have been traced back in official records as far back as the Shosoin documents, written some 1200 or 1300 years ago during the Nara period (710 to 794). At the time, himono was so valued that it was listed among the taxes and levies to be paid to the Imperial Court.
The general population, however, had to wait to enjoy himono side dishes until the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when production technology and distribution networks were developed. For several hundred years prior, himono was a luxury item reserved for the nobility and other privileged classes. For example, karamono (dried fish) appears in The Tale of Genji as a snack that Hikaru Genji and his companions enjoyed at a banquet. Undoubtedly, the salty and spicy dried fish would have gone perfectly with saké.
In the Edo period, village officials in each domain encouraged the production of local specialties as tributes. This spurred the production of himono-related specialties in localities across the country that are still with us today, such as dried horse mackerel from Odawara, dried octopus from Akashi, and dried mullet roe from Nagasaki. When you go on a trip, be sure to seek out the local himono as a souvenir.
How to make delicious himono at home
How does one make himono anyway?
To answer this question, we visited Maruaka Shoten, established in 1946 in Tokyo’s Yushima area. The company’s artisans transform seasonal fish so fresh you could eat it as sashimi, into salted dried fish with their experienced technique. The Maruaka taste is famous among celebrities and food connoisseurs all over the country. Nakamura Mitsuru, the second-generation owner, let us in on the secret to making himono overnight at home.
For our lesson, we used an inshore horse mackerel purchased just that morning at the Tsukiji fish market. The first step is to split open the fish’s belly with a knife starting from the head and remove the entrails. Nakamura deftly uses a small single-edged knife called an ajisaki knife, but, of course, you can use a regular kitchen knife at home.
After cleaning out the fish, use a brush to carefully remove all the blood while soaking it in fresh water. This is an important step; if you skip this step, a fishy smell will cling to the fish even after drying.
If the fish starts to turn white while working on it, soak it in water with about four percent salt (the same concentration as seawater) for a minute or so to restore its color. Then soak it for another 20 minutes in a brine with enough salt (around 18 percent) that makes the fish float. Sea salt should be used. Adding salt changes the fish’s protein structure, bringing out the umami and flavor in the fish meat. The artisans at Maruaka adjust the salt concentration and soaking time according to the fish species and condition.
We use every part of the fish, down to the marrow, out of respect to the fish
After soaking the fish for around 20 minutes, take it out of the brine and wash the salt off the surface with fresh water and then remove as much water as possible with paper towels. Next, place the fish in a hot-air dryer for one to two hours and then store in a refrigerator at 0°C. When making himono at home, the fish should be dried in a shaded, well-ventilated place for one to two hours and then refrigerated. If you plan to store the fish and not eat it right away, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to ensure no air gets in before putting it in the freezer. Oxidation is himono’s No. 1 enemy.
Himono that have been frozen and stored should be cooked while still frozen. As the fish is brought up to room temperature, the salt penetrates further into the flesh, enriching the flavor. The trick to grilling himono is medium heat at a fair distance from the flame. The himono is ready to eat when the surface begins to char lightly. If you coat the grill with vinegar and oil and warm it in advance, the skin and meat will not stick and the result will look scrumptious.
After eating all the meat, put the head and backbone into hot water and add a tiny bit of soy sauce and some green onions. The dried fish’s umami will dissolve in the broth, making a delicious clear soup.
Now that we know how to make himono, all we need is to stock up on some fresh fish. How about we go out fishing?
▶Part 2: Tsukudani Nihonbashi Funasa, Tokyo
▶Part 4: Shuto (Fish Innards Pickled in Salt) — Shiino Foods, Odawara, Kanagawa
