Japanese Culinary Academy Book | Mukoita I: Cutting Techniques: Fish

Japanese Culinary Academy

FUSHIKI Tohru,Scientist

KUMAKURA Isao,Historian

KAWASAKI Hiroya,Scientist

MATSUMURA Yasuki,Scientist

Photographer:

SAITO Akira, YAMAGATA Shuichi, KUMA Masashi

Hardcover, All color, 256 Pages

ISBN-13: 978-4-908325-06-9

The sharpness of the knife is an important determin-ing factor in the flavor of sashimi. The cleanness of the cut makes for fine differences in sensation that can be appreciated on the palate.

UNESCO’s listing of washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage pro-foundly influenced culinary publishing; docile intro-ductions of Japanese gastronomy and food have been replaced by detailed and deeper presentations. This book is part of the Japanese Culinary Academy Com-plete Japanese Cuisine series, which aims to set forth the fundamentals and background of washoku tradi-tions and techniques. The focus here is on the cutting techniques for fish, a subject that has not received detailed attention in most national cuisines.

The preparation and serving of fish in the raw—sashimi and (most) sushi—are defining features of Japanese cuisine. Sashimi is essentially a very simple cuisine, but cutting skills of great virtuosity are re-quired to prepare fish for sashimi at its best.

In a traditional Japanese restaurant, the work of preparing sashimi is described with the term mukoita. The mukoitachef is steeped in knowledge of the fla-vor, aroma, and texture distinctive of each kind of fish and trained to know how to enhance the umami of the flesh while preserving its freshness. The mukoita chef holds the highest status in the preparation of washoku cuisine. In every detail of the techniques, moreover, are arts for presenting this simple fare in an attractive manner.

This book presents widely used cutting techniques for fish in Japanese cuisine, centering on those prac-ticed by the mukoita chef, together with detailed photographs of the processes. It provides a system-atic guide to preparation of sashimi dishes, from the spiking of freshly caught fish, to filleting or otherwise dividing the fish into its parts, and slicing of fillets.

CONTENTS

• PREFACE
  – MURATA Yoshihiro

Chapter 1 The Basics

• mukoita and the Arts of Sashimi
• Knives in the History of Japanese Cuisine
• The Hygiene for Food Eaten Raw
• Knives in the Japanese Kitchen
• Posture and Grip
• Knife Maintenance

Chapter 2 Standard Techniques

• The Secrets of Tsukuri
• The Merits of the Yanagiba knife
• Fish Anatomy for Chefs
• Spiking Fish
  -Red Sea Bream
• Curing Fish
  -Yellowtail
• Sashimi Garnishes
  -Bonito
  -Butterfish
  -Salmon

Chapter 3 Special Techniques

• Flounder
• Bartail Flathead
• Devil Stinger Tilefish
• Tiger Pufferfish
• Soft-shelled Turtle
• Monkfish
• Carp
• Tuna
• Basic Recipes
• Cooking Utensils of the Japanese Kitchen
• Index
• Conversions

EDITORIAL SUPERVISION

Non-Profit OrganizationJapanese Culinary Academy

Founded in 2004 to support the advancement and spread of Japanese cuisine, JCA is engaged in edu-cational, cultural and technical research as well as in dissemination of the results of its research for people living not only in Japan but other parts of the world.

Aimed at contributing to the promotion of understand-ing of Japanese cuisine and enhancement of its appeal, JCA activities also include the development of food culture, training of professionals, nutritional education for the upcoming generations, and exchange programs for chefs around the world.

http://culinary-academy.jp/