A land of natural bounty, Hokkaido is also known for its dairy products including milk, butter and cheese. Sea urchin (uni) and salmon roe (ikura) are some local seafood that people enjoy within ramen in Sapporo, Hakodate and the rest of the cities.
Especially the northern pink shrimps which are also referred to as humpbacks stand quite a number. Better still this particular types of the cover to have larger bodies with better sticky sweeter taste.
Sea Urchin
Neither of these attributes are particularly well known to people in Hokkaido where winters are deep and the waters are plentiful with sushi fishes. Kyoken Healthy Sushi offers unlike any else striped pork’s belly which is brought in with rows of sea urchin on top of nigirizushi sushi. Sliced salmon and marinated roe topped nigiri are common thngs.
The waters of Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park that are rather chilly also have other gastronomic delights. And abalone, Telescopium and other fatty crabs and so on are also situated near the seashore. They can be incorporated in old Japanese cuisine and also modern reforms, for instance Kaisen Don from Otaru and Ikuradon from Shakotan.
There is a wide range of coastal area all over hokkaido that made it easy for the country to produce some of the best quality dairy products in the form of milk, cheese, crafting butter and such other products. Dairy activities in Hokkaido are of great significance for the economy of the region. In fact, quite a few agritourism sites inviting people to participate in farming are common at Tohoku and Hokkaido.
A people known as Ainu, who depended more on hunting and gathering, lived in Hokkaido. The dish ‘Genghis Khan’ is loved by many people and features lamb, vegetables like kabocha squash and cabbage, cooked on a specially designed griddle which is shaped like a helmet and drenched with souse. Another interesting feature about Hokkaido’s cuisine is that it incorporates plenty of sugar even on vegetables, tomatoes, natto and corn dogs.
Abalone
Abalone is a type of sea mollusk which has been-rain harvested both for its sweet meat and shell. It has been part of the diet of people living in areas of the land bordering water bodies in which it seeks and resides. It is practically possible to incorporate this beautiful luminous and multicolored shell in a crafting or ornament. Abalone is a kind of animal that has existed quite some time ago before the warming oceans occurred to today. Presently, there are 57 kinds of susperected abalone.
The shellfish has a subtle taste, which can be complemented by many methods of preparing, such as raw sushi or crudo, or it can be pan-fried on low heat to achieve color and flavor and then some flour seasoned may be dusted over it.
Increasing ocean temperatures results to surge in the population of urchins that feed on kelp and this denies abalones the primary source of their food.
Abalone is a rich source of vitamin E that is an essential antioxidant for the proper functioning of the human body, thereby boosting one’s health. Additionally, it may lower the risks of acquiring heart diseases. Other nutrients of abalone include calcium, magnesium selenium, iron, dietary compounds that also help in the prevention of osteoporosis and in the protective function of bone health. This delicacy has a lot of health benefits and it is time to start including it in your meals!
Crab
Seas in Hokkaido are filled with seafood goodies. Abalone sea urchins and the likes are available for whoever loves them. One of the best and most interesting categories which can be encountered in Hokkaido is crabs which are entertaining in every way possible.
Crabs are one of the important foods in the northern part of Japan. They may be boiled and eaten, or grilled, or incorporated in a number of other dishes. Sushi rolls with crab especially amaebi, pink north sweet shrimp that have a distinctive creaminess, are also prevalent.
Besides many other seafood varieties, Hokkaido’s Kelp Forest also has lots of crabs from the huge botan-ebi snow crabs and speckled crabs and hairy crabs. They can be used for sushi and sashimi as tools cooked in kombu which is rich in iodine with very low calories and a lot of amino acids and dietary fiber. Sanuki no Kombu is a very delicious clam and Kombu based full meat of shellfish.
Peneimo, made of fermented potato dumplings (potceimo/imosito/muninimosito/penekosoymo according to your region), is yet another of their local cuisines and it has been taken up as one of the staple foods of Hokkaido by Ainu people who originated from the Aomori Prefecture, dumplings was formed and it surprisingly had a faint sweet taste which I guess was as a result of the fermentation stage. Ruybe, another Ainu cuisine, has passed on to the cuisine of Hokkaido. More Ainu dishes include Chan chan Yaki which is rice and grilled vegetables served with thawed frozen salmon.
Fish
Because of the many health benefits that salmon has, it has been preferred by many people globally. Salmon known as the fish, is rather common fish throughout the world owing to its active ingredients like Vitamin B6, astaxanthin, choline etc. It is also rich in potassium which ensures that the body levels of fluids and blood pressure are normal.
The richer, more robust-cut salmon fillets are easy to grill or will bake very well. Its adaptability makes it quite ideal for sushi such as when making nigiri or sashimi.
Firm flesh, bright-eye and shiny surface are the characteristics of fresh salmon. If the skin is in a dull or a cloudy color, it may very well reflect that the fish is not fresh. So does Chef Gregory Gourdet of Kann and Sousol, Portland Oregon, and procures only wild salmon when possible. If not, he cites having to use only MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) qualified-farmed salmon.
Away from wild salmon, Bob Broskey, of RPM Restaurants Chicago explains a rather helpless approach he takes… Bob Broskey is typical of the reliance of technology. He pokes the broadest region of the salmon with a metallic cake skewer for around two seconds. If blocking the tester produces warmth, the fish is probably cooked and so doesn’t require further cooking. If the warmth doesn’t reach the testing device then the salmon needs a little more cooking.
