The Care Behind Our Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki

Setsubun, on Sunday, February 2, is finally drawing near.

And Setsubun means one thing: it is also Ehomaki Day!

Today, we would like to share the care that goes into Yahata Sushi’s Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki.

First, let us introduce what goes inside our Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki.

⚪︎Marinated tuna ⚪︎Marinated scallop ⚪︎House-made kazunoko (herring roe) ⚪︎Salmon roe ⚪︎Anago eel ⚪︎Shrimp ⚪︎Tamagoyaki ⚪︎House-made oboro denbu ⚪︎Kanpyo gourd strips ⚪︎Simmered shiitake mushrooms ⚪︎Cucumber ⚪︎Takuan pickled daikon ⚪︎Shiso leaf ⚪︎Shibazuke pickles ⚪︎Sesame seeds ⚪︎Wasabi ⚪︎Gari pickled ginger

These are the ingredients we use.

For the shibazuke and gari, we use products from Juichiya, a pickle shop in Toyosu with which Yahata Sushi has enjoyed a relationship of trust for many years. All the other ingredients are made by hand at Yahata Sushi.

We would like to explain how each one is prepared, but here we will focus on the oboro denbu and kazunoko.

We have included photos at the end for your reference.

First, our oboro denbu is made with cod from Hokkaido.

We fillet the cod into three pieces, prepare the upper fillets (removing the bones, skin, and bloodline), boil them in a large pot, and then mince them.

We then transfer it to a pan and dry-roast it to remove the moisture, color it with red food coloring, and it is complete.

It takes only a few lines to describe, but this alone is nearly a full day’s work.

As for kazunoko, most restaurants purchase salt-cured herring roe from the fish market and desalinate it as needed. At Yahata Sushi, however, we purchase whole herring, remove the roe ourselves, and make our own kazunoko from it.

Ordinary kazunoko is bleached, giving it a pale yellow color. Natural roe, however, contains blood clots, so it has a somewhat deeper color.

First, those blood clots must be removed.

This is painstaking work—so much so that our shoulders are stiff by the time it is done.

Then comes the salting process. Only after it has been properly cured does it become delicious kazunoko.

You may sometimes encounter kazunoko with a harsh, astringent taste, but Yahata Sushi’s has none at all.

That is because we carefully remove the blood clots and do not bleach it.

Our Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki is delicious because it is made with ingredients prepared without sparing the time and effort!

In addition, we use fresh bluefin tuna from Inara and premium anago eel from Marumasa, so the quality is assured.

Our special ehomaki, which does not contain seafood, is also made with carefully selected ingredients and is highly recommended.

Both varieties of ehomaki are available in limited quantities, so please call to reserve yours early.

⚪︎Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki: ¥4,000 for a set of two rolls

⚪︎Special Ehomaki: ¥2,200 for a set of two rolls

We also include fukumame beans for your Setsubun bean-throwing!

↑ This cod is so large that the deba knife looks small beside it.

↑ Stir-roasting the minced cod into oboro.

↑ Colored with red food coloring, and complete.

↑ Preparing the kazunoko: carefully removing the roe from the herring without damaging it, then removing the blood clots.

↑ The natural color of unbleached roe.

↑ Making ehomaki (Kitajima’s meticulous work).

↑ The finished Zuiun Seafood Ehomaki!