🍱 Mehikari no karaage(Fried Chlorophthalmus borealis)

small fish, 5-15 cm in length, caught off the coast of Nobeoka City in the Hyuga Sea at a depth of around 300 m. They are called "mehikari" because of their large, sparkling blue eyes. Its Japanese name is "aome-eso. In the past, it was treated as a small fish that could be caught in deep-sea shrimp trawl nets, and was used as a meal for fishermen and as bait for aquaculture. In an effort to promote the light white flesh and fluffy texture of mehikari, a Japanese restaurant in Nobeoka City developed and served the dish after repeated trial and error, and it was introduced in the mass media and came into the limelight. Mexicali is not indigenous to Miyazaki; it is often caught off the coast of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture and has become a specialty of Onahama Port. In 1747, the ninth generation of the Naito family was transferred from the Banjohira domain to the Nobeoka domain, and in 1997, Nobeoka City and Iwaki City became brother cities, which is said to have influenced the custom of eating mehikari in both regions.