🍱 Suzuki no Hoshoyaki

Shinjiko (Lake Shinji) in the northeastern part of Shimane prefecture is said to have formed about 10,000 years ago. It is about 17 km wide and 6 km long with a circumference of about 47 km, making it the 7th largest lake in Japan. With its dignified lake surface, it was selected as one of the "100 Best Views in Japan." Shinjiko is a brackish lake with a mixture of freshwater and seawater, and this mixture changes depending on the water area and season. The local flavor is cultivated in this unique environment. Sea bass, along with basket clams, pond smelt, ice fish, greasyback shrimp, carp, and eel make up the "Shinjiko Shicchin," the seven types of seafood delicacies for which Shinjiko is known. The name of the sea bass changes as it grows older, going from koseigo, seigo, chuhan, to suzuki. In the "Kuni-yuzuri," an Izumo myth from the Kojiki, a large sea bass from Izumo was presented for the Yamato Imperial Court feast of harmony. "Suzuki no Hoshoyaki" is a specialty cuisine of Matsue City, which has flourished as a castle town since the Edo period. This dish involves steamed sea bass wrapped in hosho (Japanese paper made of mulberry). The fishermen originally steamed the bass in bonfire ashes, but Matsudaira Harusato, 7th Lord of the Matsue clan, did not approve of the ash remaining on the fish, and instead had it wrapped in hosho. This is said to be the beginning of "Suzuki no Hoshoyaki."