Aji Himono

Himono of aji from Nagasaki.

Himono Dried Fish

Some of my favorite ways to eat fish is himono. These are fish that are fileted open, salted and then cured and dried overnight. Excess water leaves the fish and it becomes rich in umami as a result. Then we grill it in the oven.

Himono Dried Fish

I love these himono. Fish are butterflied open, marinated in a saline solution and then left out to dry. These increase the umami in the fish and they are a breeze to grill.

Fukuoka's Himono Fish

In the Fukuoka station building there was a small seafood market with a beautiful display of himono, or fish that was cut open, salted and air-dried. This colorful display included tachiuo (cutlassfish), tai (seabream) and more.

Sanma Himono and Sashimi Style

The sanma was eventually turned into himono on the top and sashimi on the bottom. The himono is salted and left out to dry so it becomes rich in umami and all we need to do is pop it into the fish grill. The sashimi is an intense, rich, oily fish so it is sometimes good to have it with a bit of grated ginger with the soy sauce to cut through the fat.