New Video I made- Local foraging on the Reef for Scallops/Uni/Fish

[Oolie]

I've delved into such.


I would begin with the head, as that's where all the best goodies are.


They are easy to split in half, and a yellowtail head grilled with a simple tare (pronounced Tah-ray, it's prepared quickly with equal parts soy sauce, sake, and sugar brought to a boil and allowed to cool) is quite enjoyable on the grill.


For splitting the head, the simplest technique is to take a broad, heavy blade, and when the severed head is on the cutting board (cut side down) put the blade center in the mouth of the fish and push in until it begins to penetrate the upper lip, then slice downward through the top of the head, you will get two halves separated easily by chopping through the bottom jawbone.


Chopsticks are needed to pull all the meat from the bones, which is very much worthwhile.


If you want to try the roe, I really like Mentaiko.
It's a Japanese adaptation of a Korean dish of spicy pickled cod roe, but other roe types are substitutable. You can buy it at the Japanese market, try it on white short grain(actual) rice.


Other organs and parts are excellent as well if you're the adventurous type.

[FullFlavorPike]

You got any tips on preparing mentaiko from YT/cbass roe? I love that stuff on spaghetti.

[Oolie]

I don't have tips, but I can share my experience. In Fukuoka where the stuff is very popular, I toured a factory which offered the experience of making it yourself. They supplied frozen roe and the seasonings. You mixed it yourself.


They recommended keeping it refrigerated for a couple days for the seasonings to penetrate. I was driving around the country at the time, so I didn't have the luxury. I kept it for a week at whatever temp it was in the car or bag, and it actually turned out to be the best mentaiko I've tasted.