20070111

new year's noshing.

kamaboko


just a quick word on the new year's nosh. last year was all about osechi, but i couldn't work up the energy for it, and as kirk noted, the shops seemed to have a pitiful pre-made selection this time around. so i picked up some particularly interesting looking kamaboko, a japanese processed fish cake, mainly because they looked so festive. when i was growing up, the most interesting kamaboko was white with a pink border, but as you can see from the photo above, they've gotten more creative: the pink bordered one has a flying bird depicted on it, the white one has a terrapin and some seaweed, i think. not only are the designs all fancy, but the flavours have changed, too: the yellow spiral one is an interesting cross of kamaboko and tamago baked egg cake, and the rectangular one has stripes of salmon flake and a basil infused filling.


sashimi


i also couldn't resist the selection of sashimi which was particularly fresh. the hamachi was exceptional, as were the super-sweet scallops.

prawn cocktail


it wasn't all japanese food, but it was almost exclusively seafood--baked salmon with a homemade mayonnaise, grilled sea bugs, a random tuna sandwich (don't ask)--and this simple but decadent prawn cocktail of a sort: four kilos of the super-large variety of tiger prawns steamed and shelled, and served with a salad of tomato, cilantro, onion, and cucumber. sweet, only slightly acidic, herby, and cool, all at once. not a bad way to start the new year, really.

14 comments:

I obviously need to expand my kamaboko expectations. The turtle alone...

Excellent images as usual. And thanks for stopping by last week. :)

These kamaboko look fabulous - so festive and exquisite! I'd really like to try some now:)

Fantastic photos, it all looks so tempting.

mmmmm... everything looks so gorgeous. it's almost a sin to to eat things that look as pretty as that. but i always do not mind sinning in that way :)

Note to self: look for kamaboko

Akemashite omedetou. Everything looks gorgeous. A randon tuna sandwich? Sounds like my kind of New Years!

Hey Santos - That's some really nice looking kamaboko....I didn't see anything like that around these parts!

The boxes of treats look so tasty, doesn't hurt that your photos always look so vivid. A treat for the eye, and I'm sure the palate. Where do you find these lovelies in your part of the world? Are they always available should visitors choose to seek them out?

happy new year, everyone!

hello tv, i stopped by a couple of times this week too :)

pille, i think there must be a european equivalent of it in taste and texture, but probably not in appearance. i think that paris and the uk have some large japanese food markets where this might be available, but i don't know where else :(

beccy, thanks! everything was very fresh and relatively light, so it felt good to have a meal that wasn't as heavy as all the feasting during the holidays.

poppycock--i feel the same way!

penguins *love* fishcake, you must!

tag, i love your posts on your family's osechi dishes, they all look tasty and delicious. it looks like you had some great feasting as well.

kirk, not even in mitsuwa? that's too bad. we only get the really cool ones during the holidays, although hello kitty, ultraman, and snoopy pop up during the year for the keikis. sooo kawaii, although i want pikachu!

hi mila! the really interesting kamaboko only shows up during holidays, but there is always a good selection of it at our local japanese market and at some of the korean ones as well. the sashimi, thankfully, is year round, although the selection changes.

They are just too preety to bite on now, aren't they ? Your pix has succeded to overcome my appetite for them hehe, cheers ! :)

The yellow spiral is "datemaki", a traditional New Year's egg and fish roll.

I missed having any this year, because the local markets all got shut out by the distributor. Boo, hiss!

(Hi, Santos - I've been reading your blog on and off for years, and have finally found a reason to delurk.)

--Kat

Kamaboko - wow, what a concept! The only Japanese fishcake I have ever had has been sliced into a noodle dish and was the plainest of plain white - nothign at all like these fantastic little jewels! I *love* the terrapin!

Happy new year to you :)

melting wok, i know how you feel!

kat,thanks for the info! the datemaki also comes in interesting variations, but i find most of them to be too sweet.

jeanne, sadly the terrapin just tastes like the plain old fishcake. ah well, still prettier to look at :)

you bought the mega-totoro box! i am jealous. :)

i wish we had more interesting kamaboko here.