Tai meshi: Cooked Rice with Sea Bream
In Japan, tai (sea bream) is considered a symbol of good luck and is served at celebrations. That is because of its name: tai reminds us of the Japanese word medetai, which means "joyous, felicitous". Pink-colored sea bream is often served at festivities such as weddings and celebrations for newborn babies.
Tai is usually cooked whole, in a pot with rice. But when it's served, the fish is cut into flakes and mixed into the rice for easy eating. For this recipe, I used pieces instead of the whole fish. The choice is up to you. Some people unaccustomed to seafood might be startled to see the whole fish, including head and tail, on the rice.
Tai-meshi is popular in Japan (especially in the Shikoku area, where sea bream are abundant), and there are two styles. In the eastern and central areas, where the meat is firm and delicious thanks to the rough seas, it's boiled together with rice in a round clay pot, and then broken up into flakes. In some restaurants, the fish is grilled separately and served on the rice. Its taste when mixed with konbu (dried kelp) soup stock makes for a superb takikomi gohan.
In the city of Uwajima, in the southwest section of Shikoku, slices of fresh raw sea bream are dipped in an egg-based sauce and served on steaming rice, often with delicious toppings such as fresh spring onions. This second tai-meshi is also called hyugameshi.
In appearance, tai-meshi looks like a Japanese version of Spanish paella. It is interesting to know that Spanish people share the Japanese fondness for sea bream. It may be partly because of its nutrition. These fish contain little fat, as recommended for low-calorie diets. Tai also provide lots of omega-3, which promotes relaxation and increases our power of concentration.
Another reason might be that the fish is mainly fished near Santander, in the Cantabrian Sea and so the fish are relatively cheap in Spain. On Spain's northern coast, making it a cheap and oft-used ingredient in Spanish cuisine. The fish is eaten in a variety of ways - grilled, fried, marinated, baked, or simmered in a tomato sauce. In Spanish sea bream is called dorada ("golden") because of the golden color of its skin. Both Spanish dorada and Japanese tai are associated with festivities!
This year I spent the New Year holiday in Spain. Missing the typical Japanese Oshogatsu food, I wanted to cook something special and typically Japanese here. But in Cadiz, the small town in Southern Spain where I live, Japanese ingredients are pretty hard to find. That's why I made this tai-meshi for my family to create a pleasant atmosphere of celebration. I was glad that, when my family tried it for the first time, they seemed to like it and appreciated the firm and tasty texture of the fish. Here, then, is a nice, easy-to-prepare dish that you can enjoy with your family for special occasions or celebrations!
Written by Yuko Tamaki-Welply
A member of TranNet and freelance translator based in Southern Spain
♦ INGREDIENTS
(serves 4)
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
c = cup
4 c short-grain white rice
400 g tai (sea bream), cut into pieces
1 T dashi (bonito soup stock) in 2 c of water
3 T sake
3 T soy sauce
♦ How to make Tai meshi: Cooked Rice with Sea Bream
1. Wash the rice and let it drain in a colander for half an hour before transferring it to a pot.
2. Add 2 c of water, the soy sauce, sake and dashi soup stock to the rice.
3. Place the sea bream on top and let the dish stand for another half an hour.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and boil the rice and the sea bream in the pot at high heat for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes. After these two phases, turn off the heat and let it stand, covered, for another 10 minutes to let the rice absorb all the aroma produced in the pot.
5. After the rice has finished cooking, gently mix in the fish, breaking the pieces to remove small bones.
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