Sake Kasu Zanmai: Grilled Hon Maguro Tuna ‘Throat’ Kasuzuke

Grilled Hon Maguro Nodo ‘Tuna Throat’ Kasuzuke 本まぐろ ‘のど’ 粕漬け
Grilled Hon Maguro Nodo 'Tuna Throat' Kasuzuke 本まぐろ 'のど' 粕漬け
What do you do when grilled ‘kama‘ fish collars no longer do it for you? Try fish throats! Yes, throat! (I had never even heard of this one.) I spotted these beautiful slices of maguro tuna throats in the store the other day and knew I had to…
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Sake Kasu Zanmai: Chicken Turnips and Nanohana Kasujiru Soup

Late Winter Kasu Jiru Soup with Chicken, Turnips and Nanohana 小蕪菜の花鳥肉粕汁 Late Winter Kasujiru Soup with Chicken, Turnips and Nanohana  小蕪菜の花粕汁
Meet Kasu Jiru: Kasu-jiru is soup made with sake lees. The sake taste is pronounced and the sweet, fruiting bouquet of fermented sake mash is obvious as well. We made this with late winter veggies and chicken.…
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Sake Kasu Zanmai: Sujiko (Salmon Roe Sac) Kasuzuke

Sake Kasu Zanmai: Sujiko (Salted Salmon Roe Sac) Kasuzuke 筋子粕漬け Sake Kasu Zanmai: Sujiko (Salmon Roe Sac) Kasuzuke 筋子粕漬け
Kasu Chinmi: Ikura is hard to beat, but salmon roe marinated in sake kasu for about a week beats ikura! This is a rather rare dish in Japan. The first time I recall having it was this January at Kichisen. After one bite, I knew that I had to…
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Sake Kasu Zanmai: Hon Maguro Tuna Cheek Kasuzuke Tataki

Sake Kasu Zanmai: Hon Maguro Tuna Cheek Kasuzuke Tataki 本まぐろほほ粕漬けたたき Sake Kasu Zanmai: Kasuzuke Hon Maguro Cheek Tataki 本まぐろほほ粕漬けたたき
Tataki: Tataki is half well done, half sashimi. I did some tuna cheek tataki. Back in Minnesota, when I was a kid, we used to freeze the cheeks from all the walleye we caught in an entire year to have a single ‘cheek’ dinner. Walleye cheeks aren’t very…
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Sake Kasu Zanmai: What is Sake Kasu?

Sake Kasu Zanmai: What is Sake Kasu? 酒粕 @@@
Sake Lees: This is what is left after the sake has been pressed out of the mash. It is called ‘sake kasu’ in Japanese and it is used in home cooking in many ways to create wonderfully complex flavored dishes during the winter sake brewing season. Many traditional Japanese confection, cracker, snack…
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