🍲 Hamonabe (Hot pot with conger pike)

The pike conger, known as "Hamo" in Japanese, has been inhabiting Osaka Bay since ancient times, and was distributed in Osaka around the middle of the modern period. In Osaka and Kyoto, it is an essential ingredient for summer festivals and is renowned as a seasonal fish during the summer. However, "Hamo" caught after spawning in the autumn, when it has gained extra fat, is also considered delicious. Due to its densely packed small bones, it is necessary to perform a technique called "Honekiri," which is to cut these bones by making knife cuts at extremely narrow intervals, leaving the fish skin. In the Senshu area, which faces Osaka Bay and is blessed with seafood, "Hamo" has long been a familiar ingredient, and "Hamo nabe(=hot pot with pike conger)" has been a popular dish. The head and bones of "Hamo" are used to make Dashi(=Japanese soup stock), and onions and potatoes are added as ingredients in the Senshu style. The dish is unique to the Senshu area, which is said to be the birthplace of onion cultivation in Japan. The sweetness of the Senshu onions spreads throughout the pot and goes well with mild-flavored "Hamo ".