Buri kama Shioyaki (ぶりかま塩焼き)
I killed my first buri-kama of the year tonight. It was a lunker! I grilled it shioyaki style and squeezed on lots of sudachi.
The coming of autumn and winter in Japan means excellent fish, and buri (鰤 ぶり), yellowtail, is my all-time favorite. It is still a bit early in the season, but the buri are fattening up!
Buri Kama Shioyaki
I found this pretty huge buri kama, or collar in the neighborhood co-op this afternoon and thought it would have plenty of nutrition and energy to help me fight this bout of bronchitis I have. (だから、no new articles on KyotoFoodie recently.) In addition to the ‘medicinal effect’, I LOVE buri kama shioyaki!!
Buri kama, or collar, is that chunk of fish just back of the gill area. It may not look all that appetizing to a lot of folks, but there is some REALLY good eating fish in here. Plus, kama are usually cheap!
Picking out the sweet meat of the kama is great fun and was just made for beer and sake!
To do this dish, or something like it, you need some large fish collar, salmon will do. Some good salt and a grill or broiler. Then some citrus to squeeze on. If you can get Japanese sudachi or yuzu, you’ve got the real deal! If not, lemon is just fine.
The taste of sudachi can be approximated with about 1 part fresh lime juice and 3 parts fresh lemon juice.
Buri Kama (Yellowtail Collar)
This was a big one, and only cost 250y!
Buri Kama (Yellowtail Collar) – Chiai
Buri has lots of chiai (血合い), the deep red flesh at the bottom is chiai. Chi means blood and ai means meet. So, where blood meets flesh. Buri kama doesn’t actually have that much chiai.
Buri Kama (Yellowtail Collar) – detail
This is the fatty part that makes yellowtail taste so good. Those white lines are fat and oil. Mid-winter fatty yellowtail in Japan is a kind of foie gras from the sea. Raw or cooked, it is hard to beat! It is still early in the season, so it isn’t nearly as fatty as it will be in a few months time.
Buri Kama – On the Grill
A poorly lit shot from in the gas fish broiler. On the skin side grind or sprinkle a lot of salt. The skin is not eaten and easily separates from the flesh, so it can be cooked until black.
Buri Kama Shioyaki Served
On this side salt is sprinkled in moderation or none at all. Oil dripping down from the skin side will bring plenty of salt to this side for flavoring.
Buri Kama Shioyaki Served – detail
Yum! By the way, these sudachi are old, so they are no longer green.
To see a great photo of this dinner finished (defeated) and some about the sake that washed it down, just click here. And some more here.
‘Dessert’: Onigiri
This onigiri is a creation of Miwa (AKA Paku). It has shiso pickled ginger, shiso leaf and katsuo-bushi mixed in the rice. We made the pickled ginger last summer. It is too salty to be healthy but tastes great!
Sigh….. I do love autumn in Japan… All the best foods!
I love buri kama. It is so incredible. I always order it at Japanese restaurants. It looks beautifully prepared.
This is easly the best part of the fish. So amazing grilled simply.
One of my favorite all-time dish!
The Real Person!
Author Peko Peko acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.
Hello everyone, sorry for no reply!
Marc@NoRecipes, Yes, ’tis the season for yummies in Japan!
Abby @ mangerlaville, Where do you live? They have it in your country? Great!
Jude, And you can get it in your country too?
Nate, Buri-kama shioyaki is simple but nothing tops it!
Food for the gods. I try to have it as often as I can when in Japan.
However, in Europe it is hard to find, sometimes from Portugal.
Please, Peko-san, what other fish could be used in this way?
I found your site while looking up recipes for grilling ANY kind of Japanese fish! I have had some trouble sorting out Aji, Saba, Buri, etc, and your site has been just wonderful for showing how to deal with whole fish, and best yet – making the most delicious shio-yaki! ^^ I only wish I had found your site before my honeymoon in Kyoto last April!!! We would have had some great tips for what to do and where to go! Grr!! ^_^ Great site! I’ll have to blog roll ya!
Browsing along the net I come across this fine site.
Thanks very much, good information.
We use halibut or king salmon or black cod / salble fish collars – but, I have to try it the Japanese way. Can’t wait…
Good eating, or, good fishing to you.
Greetings from Homer, Alaska.
Skin not eaten??? Au contraire! Looks very good! One of my favorites.
Love Buri kama Shioyaki too. Any restaurant in Tokyo and Kyoto which Buri kama Shioyaki has impressed you? Looking for some great ones at restaurants in both cities. Thanks