Cook the local flavors once more

Namero on rice

From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa

The namero, pounded until smooth

Namero is a Chiba specialty handed down along the coast of the Boso Peninsula. It is said to have been devised by fishermen of Kazusa and Awa to cook their catch on board; because soy sauce spills easily on a rocking boat, they seasoned it with miso instead. The name is said to come from the dish being so good you lick the plate clean. Horse mackerel is caught year-round in southern Boso, so it is the usual fish, and herbs such as green onion and ginger were added as the dish spread into home kitchens. It does not keep, so it is eaten as soon as it is made. This time I used horse mackerel from the nearby sea and served it over freshly cooked rice.

Ingredients

Horse mackerel sashimi (from the nearby sea)
Perilla (shiso) leaves
Ginger
Green onion
Miso
Freshly cooked rice

How I made it

Tear the perilla leaves by hand, grate the ginger and chop the green onion
Slice the horse mackerel, pile the herbs on top and add the miso
Chop finely with a knife and keep pounding until smooth and sticky
Serve over freshly cooked rice

Sources: maff.go.jp

This moment in the journey

Namero, the pride of Boso

Breakfast was made from horse mackerel sashimi caught in the nearby sea. I tore perilla leaves by hand, grated ginger, and chopped green onion. Then I sliced the fish on the board, piled the herbs on top, and added miso for seasoning.

With the knife I chopped it all finely. As the blade tapped away, fish, miso and herbs melted into one another and the mixture grew smooth and sticky. When it was ready, there it was: namero, the specialty of Boso and the pinnacle of fisherman's rice.

Watch this scene on YouTube1:22

Read this scene in the full journey