Hamachi Kama

Whew, today we started our "spring cleaning" and I'm bushed. On days like this, the last thing I want to do is whole bunch of cooking....so I decided to make some Hamachi Kama(Yellowtail "collar"), the portion of the fish that surrounds the front fins near the fish of the face. It is also one of the most prized items in various sushi bars and Izakaya. In fact, many times it is not even on the menu, and reserved for "regulars", or only served on request.

There's lots of rich, juicy, meat around those bones.......and the crisp, salty skin, is delici-yoso!!!

I happened to have some Hamachi Kama I bought a week ago in the freezer, and have always heard that there's nothing to making them. So after thawing in the frig, I just made them!

I can't give you a recipe, because it's just Da' Kama and Alaea, the unprocessed seas salt that is mixed with red clay which enriches it with ferrous oxide. The Hawaiians used to reserve it for important feasts and ceremonies, and the salt was said to hold special medicinal properties. Alaea has a mellower salty taste, with a touch of sweetness.

After rinsing and drying the Kama, I seasoned generously with Alaea(no' scared, okay!), and used the toaster oven to first bake for about 8 minutes, than I toasted them for a few cycles.

The result was a surprise...it was very good, very moist, rich in oil, not overly fishy, and even the Missus thought it was good. And the Kama had only set me back about 3 bucks at Marukai! I had heard that there was nothing to it, and there was.........Too bad the only sake I had in the house was pretty lousy.

Well, not too thrilling, but the rest of the evening means some Ibuprofen, and rest...my aching back!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new restaurant! Kampai!

Comments

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Oh no! Sorry to hear about your back. I hope you're OK. :(

VNese like the cheeks too. But we like using the whole head. Especially in sour fish soup. :)

[Kathy]

I hope your back feels better! :)
so simple and so good...I've been craving something like that for a while!

[Trent]

Hey Kirk,
Zion had yellowtail collar, (small-cut) in the freezer case for .99/lb. a little while ago. Haven't checked lately, though.

[Kirk]

Hi WC - Yes, usually the heads are used for soups....Izakaya Sakura serves up some really good soup...or even marinated cold fish head that is very good.

Hi Kathy - So simple, and so good.

Hi Trent - You know, I've had mixed results with the seafood from Zion, never with any of the meats, but I've purchased some really bad seafood from there.

[Beach]

Kirk,
It looks to me that you are missing some thing with the Kama. Maybe Ponzu sauce and some grated Daikon.

[Kirk]

Hey Beach - My back was killing me, and I was bushed, so the thought of making Daikon Oroshi, or ponzu didn't even enter my mind! It was still great with lemon.

[howie]

Hope you're feeling better soon, Kirk!

Yellowtail collar is one of my favorites. I didn't realize it was *that* easy to make.

[Kirk]

Hi Howie - I'm pretty much okay.... I'd always heard Hamachi Kama was real simple...and it is!

[Annie]

i love how some of the best dishes are so easy to make! :)

[Kirk]

Hi Annie - I try not to make anything too complicated...unless it's on of our experiments.

[Alex Wroblewski]

I can't tell you how amazing it is to hear that I'm not the only one who loves Hamachi Kama. My local sushi bar hides it away on their menu and the japanese resturant I go to doesn't have it on the menu at all. I live near a Marukai too and saw the hamachi kama and was looking for how to cook it when I found this blog. So hello! You have another reader!

[Kirk]

Hi Alex - Thanks for dropping by! Hamachi Kama is really easy.... it's all in the bake/broil, I hope your turns out great. Thanks also for the kind words.