🍲 Kuchizoko no Nitsuke(Simmered Sole fish)

The Ariake Sea, which has Japan's highest tidal range and vast mud flats, is home to a variety of unique fish and shellfish, including “Mutsugoro", “Mekaja", “Sea mushrooms", and “Wrasses". The sole fish, which lives on sandy muddy bottoms of shallow waters throughout Japan, is also found in the Ariake Sea and is called “kuchizoko" in Saga Prefecture. Its body is characterized by its leaf-shaped body, with no distinguishable dorsal or caudal fins. The name "kuchizoko" comes from a theory that it resembles the shape of the sole of a shoe, or that its small mouth is on the underside. It is closely related to the flatfish, and has both eyes on the left side of its body. “Kuchizoko" is a familiar food in the Ariake Sea coastal areas and is often stewed in a rich, slightly sweetened seasoning.