先週末・日曜日は家族が集って祝い事の「にぎり寿司」パーティ。家族の希望で久しぶりに父のにぎりを食べたいというわたし・喜色満面のリクエストだったのです。あらまぁウレシイ。
ということで札幌市中央市場の場内市場まで各種の魚介類を土曜日の早朝に仕入れ。それを捌いてのにぎり三昧の休日を楽しみました。四方を海に囲まれしかも冷涼な海域の北海道の海産物が集荷されてくる札幌中央市場の場内市場。そこはまさに新鮮魚貝の満艦飾。わたしは食品製造業の家庭環境で育ったので、中央市場はその空気感に没入できる大好きな場所。ときどき本州からの来訪者の方々をご案内することもありますが、みなさんその新鮮で鮮烈な魚介類に目を丸くして驚かれる。やはり実物の迫力は圧倒的なのです。おいしくて姿カタチがかわいらしい。なにか内的な自分の動物本能を強く揺さぶられ、気分がワクワクするのですね。
先週土曜日にはカミさんの大好物の筋子、それも紅鮭のものというパックを購入できた。その1-2割を使って一番上の写真のように12カン握ってみました。っていうか、握る先からカミさんが頬張っていくので、トータルでは20カンくらいは握ったでしょうか（笑）。残りは冷凍保存させてゆっくり楽しみたい。
さらに久しぶりに「イカ」を購入させていただいた。最近は北海道周辺の海では漁獲が激減しているという情報ですが、大ぶりで肉厚そうなヤツを購入。たくさん「裏包丁」を入れて食べやすく配慮して握った。口中になつかしいイカの風味が広がる。それを十分に味わえてなおボリューム感たっぷり。しかも喉につかえないなめらかさでやがて腹の中に収まっていく本来の北国の食感を楽しめた。
エビも捌き方を工夫してカラの彩りも若干残して楽しく調理してみた。包丁の捌き方で「おお、こんなに美しいのか」と喜べるのは醍醐味であります。下のにぎり写真中央には生ホッキの捌いたヤツも。ホッキは冷凍のヤツも解凍して握りましたが（この下の写真に）、やはり生ホッキはやわらかくてまるで口の中で融けていくような極上の食感を楽しめる。
マグロも大間という津軽海峡の漁場が有名ですが、最近は北海道各地でたくさん水揚げされるようです。中央市場では築地ほどではないけれどたくさんの冷凍されたマグロたちがゴロゴロと転がって、やがて盛大に捌かれている光景に出会う。
感染症以前には、会社スタッフに１回に総数300カン以上握って「社長食堂」を提供していましたが、今回はこの写真の他に100カンくらい握ったのでトータル200カンほど。家族それぞれ、お持ち帰りもたっぷり。久しぶりに握ったので自分ではシャリは少なめにしたつもりでしたが、「おお、でかい」という印象（笑）。体の感覚や調子を再度確認もできたので、徐々に握り寿司の機会を探っていきたいと思っています。
English version⬇
Nigiri-zushi" after a long absence Enjoy shopping and making by hand
A reunion with delightful fish and shellfish such as sockeye salmon roe, inshore squid, and fresh hokki. The best part of being a Hokkaido native is being able to buy, process, and enjoy them. ...
Last Sunday, my family gathered for a celebratory "Nigiri-zushi" party. My family wanted to eat my father's Nigiri for the first time in a long time, and I was so happy to hear their request. Oh, my gosh, I am so happy.
So we went to the Sapporo Central Market early Saturday morning to stock up on various kinds of seafood. We processed them and enjoyed a holiday full of nigiri. The Sapporo Central Market is surrounded by the sea on all sides and is a place where seafood from the cooler waters of Hokkaido is gathered. The market is a veritable cornucopia of fresh fish and shellfish. I grew up in a food manufacturing family, so the central market is my favorite place to immerse myself in the atmosphere. Sometimes I take visitors from Honshu to the market and they are amazed at the freshness and freshness of the seafood. The power of the real thing is overwhelming. It is delicious and has a cute shape. It is a very exciting experience for me, as it stirs up my inner animal instincts.
Last Saturday, I was able to buy a pack of salmon roe, which is one of my wife's favorite foods. I used 10-20% of the salmon roe to make a 12-can bag, as you can see in the picture at the top. I think I made about 20 pieces of salmon roe in total, since my wife started chewing on the salmon roe from the end of the pack. I want to freeze the rest and enjoy it slowly.
We also bought squid for the first time in a while. I heard that the catch has been drastically decreasing in the seas around Hokkaido recently, but I bought a large, thick-looking one. I made a lot of "back knives" to make it easier to eat. The squid flavor spread in my mouth. The squid is so rich and hearty that you can fully enjoy it. Moreover, the squid was so smooth that it did not stick in the throat, and the texture of the original northern style was enjoyed as it eventually settled in the stomach.
The shrimp was prepared in a creative way, leaving some of the coloring on the shrimp. It is a real pleasure to be able to say, "Oh, it's so beautiful," when you see how the shrimp is handled with a knife. In the center of the nigiri photo below is a raw hokki. I also defrosted frozen hokki (see photo below), but the fresh hokki is so soft that it seems to melt in your mouth, giving it an exquisite texture.
Tuna is also famous in the Tsugaru Straits fishing area called Oma, but these days it seems that a lot of tuna is landed in various parts of Hokkaido. At the central market, you will see a lot of frozen tuna, though not as many as at Tsukiji, lying around and eventually being processed in a big heap.
Before the infection, I used to serve the "President's Dining Room" to the company staff with a total of over 300 pieces of tuna at one time, but this time, in addition to the tuna in this picture, I also grabbed about 100 pieces, for a total of about 200 pieces. Each family member had plenty to take home. Since it had been a while since I had nigiri, I thought I had made less rice myself, but my impression was "Oh, it's huge" (laugh). I was able to reconfirm how my body felt and how well I was doing, so I would like to gradually explore opportunities to make nigirizushi.