How to make Japanese dried fish(Himono)

History of dried seafood in Japan
Seafood is an essential part of the Japanese diet. Because Japan is surrounded by the sea, it can be said that the country is well equipped to eat a wide variety of seafood. Amongst seafood, dried fish is often served as a set meal or as a snack. This has not changed in the past, and dried seafood has a history.

Dried fish as an offering in the Nara period (710-794)
In the Nara period (710-794), dried fish was delivered as one of the offerings. In those days, when transport was less developed, fish had to be transported to the capital from different parts of the country, and it was necessary to improve the preservation of the fish, which led to the processing of fish into dried fish. Dried fish was not called dried fish at that time, but was called ‘kitahi’ (dried whole small fish), ‘ahezukuri’ (dried fish with the entrails removed) and ‘suhayari’ (dried fish with the meat of large fish cut into thin strips).

Dried fish that supported the Heian aristocracy
During the Heian period (794-1185), when the national culture flourished, fish catches increased and the production of dried fish increased accordingly. However, fresh seafood was still scarce, and dried fish was the preferred way to eat fish. At the time, dried fish was read as ‘karamono’, and was eaten as a snack at banquets, and became an indispensable item on the tables of the aristocracy.

Dried fish production develops
Dried fish production developed greatly during the Edo period. Daimyo (feudal lords) from all over the country began to make dried fish as an offering to the shogunate. Dried fish was also encouraged as a way of promoting the industry of each clan, and the dried fish that was competitively produced as an offering at the time can be seen in many of today's specialities. Around this time, when food became more plentiful and people's diets richer, dried fish, which had once been the food of the nobility, became popular with the general public.

In Japan, dried fish is almost always bought in shops.However, you can easily make your own if you take the time.In this issue, we will introduce you to this.

[Ingredients]

Step1　

cut up fish

Remove scales and zeigos.
Insert a knife over the pectoral fins and drop the head.
Pull out the gaster with the tip of the blade. Rinse with water.
Insert the tip of the knife lightly into the belly side and cut along the middle bone to the tail.
Insert the tip of the knife between the meat and the backbone, and separate the bones.
Cut the bone without cutting the tail.
Lay the knife down and scrape the belly bone thinly.

Step2　

Soak in salt water

Soak in salt water (45 to 60 minutes) Concentration and time are your choice, but two recommended patterns are listed below.

・45 minutes: 8 degrees salt (90g salt per liter of water)

・60 minutes: 10 degrees salt (120g salt per liter of water)

Pickle with the skin side up.

After pickling, put them in the refrigerator to cool.

If you feel that the salt is too thin, increase the soaking time by 10 minutes to adjust the salt content.

It is fun to adjust the salt level to your liking.

Step3　

Wash the pickled horse mackerel

After the horse mackerel has finished marinating, dip it lightly in water to remove the salt from the surface.

Wipe off the water thoroughly with kitchen paper.

Step4

Drying
A shady, well-ventilated place is suitable, but if it is a dry day with low humidity, you can place the horse mackerel in the sun. If there is no wind, you can use a fan to blow air.

Drying time varies depending on the season, temperature, humidity, etc. You can find the optimal drying time by first observing the fish for about 3 hours and adding 30 minutes if it is not dry.
The best time to dry the fish is when the surface of the fish does not stick to your fingers when you touch it.
Finished dried horse mackerel

Step　

Grill fish

1. Place a cookie sheet on a heated pan and place dried fish, skin side down.
2. Heat over medium-high heat. When the skin is browned and the flesh is white, flip the fish over.

3.When the flesh is browned, the fish is ready.