is a type of

tataki Two methods of preparing fish or meat in Japanese cuisine are called or . In Japanese language, Japanese, means "pounded" or "hit into pieces". Cooked food In the first method, the meat or fish is seared very briefly over a hot flame or i ...

, a manner of preparing fish or meat finely minced and mixed with some spices and seasonings, not unlike a

tartare Steak tartare or tartar steak is a French dish of raw ground (minced) beef. It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to ...

. This recipe has been passed down among

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

fishermen.

Variations

Sangayaki

A dish of grilled namerō is called sangayaki (さんが焼き) or simply sanga. Namerō is grilled directly on an iron griddle, stuffed into

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve molluscs in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related famili ...

or abalone shells or wrapped in sarutoriibara or

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

leaves. Like namerō, it is said to have originated in the Bōsō Peninsula, and there are places specializing in sangayaki. There are three theories about the original kanji spelling and origin story of the name, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has adopted the first one (山家焼き) shown here: # 山家焼き spelling: Namerō was grilled or steamed by fishermen in the mountain huts and was eaten, so it was called 'mountain' (山) and 'house' (家) 'fry' (焼き). # 山河焼き spelling: The spelling of "Sangayaki" derived from using both ingredients from the mountains (山) and rivers (河). # 三辛焼き spelling: The spelling derived from the use of three (三) spicy (辛) foods: ginger, green onion, and perilla.

Others

* A cold dish made by putting namerō in ice water is called mizunamasu (水なます). * Namerō placed on top of rice, with green tea is poured over it to make chazuke, is called magocha (孫茶). Magocha is a local dish of the coastal area of the

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

, where it is not seared but is served with dashi stock on the sashimi. In addition to horse mackerel, sashimi can be made from tuna, bonito, and alfonsino, depending on the location and restaurant. * Around Isumi District, Chiba Prefecture, namerō is placed on a slightly deep plate, flattened, sanbaizu (vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in 1:1:1 proportions) is added, and chilled in a refrigerator. This is aimed at the effect of preserving namerō, which is easily spoiled in the summer and cannot be stored in advance, and stimulating appetite decreased in the summer with acid. Depending on the family, this is eaten with soy sauce or another dipping sauce. * In Shimanoura, a remote island off the coast of Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, there is a dish called tatakko (たたっこ), which is similar to namerō, and the grilled dish corresponding to sanga in the Boso Peninsula is also called 'tatakko'.

References

Cooking techniques Japanese cuisine Uncooked fish dishes {{Japan-cuisine-stub