The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

We treat all fish equally: we guzzle not only huge tunas but also minute fishes like this.

They can be a good source of calcium, and give tastiness when added to vegetable dishes.

The master of a dried food specialist store where I sometimes go is a real enthusiast about dried tiny fishes. He will keep getting out his treasured commodities to show off once you show any interest.

Here, I’d like to share some information from him on the little fishes:   

·    Dried baby fishes on the market are in general dried baby anchovies, but from March to May, dried baby sand lances, called Kanagi in this region (Ikanago in different regions),  are also available;

·    Compared to anchovies, lances taste deeper and intense;

·    Points to distinguish the quality of the lances: red belly (result of red shrimp-like planktons that they eat) whereas dried anchovies should be as white as snow (bleaching them in order to get them whiter is a huge embarrassment in his trade);

·    About the size of the lances, the smaller the better, but more expensive;

·    After four years’ poor catches, this year there have been surprisingly good catch;.

·    So the price has been lower than usual this year;

·    You can get good dried baby lances at  JPY500/100 grams, but they can be as expensive as JPY1,000 or more depending on the quality and where you buy them;

·    You can enjoy the adult fish as well, also dried, by lightly grilling.

Grilled dried adult lances can make a good nibble to accompany Sake, or a punchy side dish when you have Onigiri (this is my personal opinion).