Flied Frat Fish
Our good friend, Tanaka, introduced us to one of his favorite foods at an izakaya (bar) that his friend owns. In Japanese it is called (Kare no kara age) which loosely translates to Fried Flat Fish. The R’s and the L’s in the name of this food are a bit difficult for the Japanese, thus the name of this post.
Anyways, I must say that the first time the fish was brought to the table I was a bit skeptical. After all, it was the whole fish and I generally steer clear of that sort of thing. As a rule, I prefer that my food bear little resemblance to its original form. I don’t care for the powerful, in-your-face, reminders of seeing the whole creature on my plate. Staring up at me.
Despite my skepticism, I gave it a try. This food is a little strange because it is fried more than once. When the whole fish is fried a handful of times the bones become soft enough that they can be eaten. Once you are done with the fried flat fish very little remains on your plate, aside from a few crumbs.
The first time I stayed away from the bones and fins and stuck mostly with the delicious fishy meat, but the second time I was a bit more adventurous. Bones, yum! Fins, yum! Meat, yum! It was all good, except I couldn’t quite bring myself to eat the head. Maybe next time…