Cook the local flavors once more

Jako-ten, prawns and Ehime wagyu on a charcoal grill

From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze

Prawns, jako-ten and wagyu beef side by side on the grill

Jako-ten is a deep-fried fish-paste cake from the Nanyo region of southern Ehime. It is said to date back to 1615, when Date Hidemune, the first lord of the Uwajima domain, invited kamaboko makers from Sendai. The name comes either from the small bottom-trawl fish (zako) it was made from, or from the hotaru-jako fish used as its base. It is eaten fresh from the fryer, plain or with grated daikon and ginger.

Ingredients

Jako-ten fish cakes (bought at Shimonada)
Whole prawns
Ehime wagyu beef

How I made it

Light charcoal in a small clay grill on the deck and set the grate on top
Lay out the prawns and jako-ten and grill until browned
Add the wagyu to the grate and grill

Sources: maff.go.jp

This moment in the journey

An old-house beer garden by the sea

In the evening I lit the charcoal in a small clay grill on the deck, to grill the jako-ten I had bought at Shimonada. I only meant to grill a little fish cake, but a stop at the supermarket turned it into a lavish barbecue. Whole prawns turned red on the grill while the jako-ten smoked. I also came across Ehime wagyu beef; let's call that a happy miscalculation.

Under the parasols on the deck, I had a drink with delicious Ehime specialties: an old-house beer garden by the sea. When the sun went down, lights came on in the windows of the old house. Ehime's specialties were not over yet.

Watch this scene on YouTube4:01

Read this scene in the full journey