Salmon Returning to the Rivers of Tohoku
The salmon used for aramaki salmon are fish that are born in the rivers of Tohoku and Hokkaido. They travel through the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk before eventually returning to the rivers where they were born to spawn.
Salmon raised in clean, clear water develop firm flesh. To prepare aramaki salmon, the fish is cleaned and gutted, generously rubbed with salt, and allowed to lose moisture. It is then aged and dried in the cold winter winds.
In the past, it was common to see several whole salmon hanging beneath the eaves of houses during winter. This distinctive sight was a familiar part of the snowy-season landscape in northern Japan.
An Essential Part of New Year’s Cuisine
In Aomori, aramaki salmon was once considered so important that people said they could not welcome the New Year without it. In inland areas such as Hirosaki, it was served as part of the traditional New Year’s meal.
In coastal communities, aramaki salmon was also eaten on December 31, New Year’s Eve, as part of a special meal known as toshikoshi ryori, or “year-crossing cuisine.” In both settings, the salmon was treated as a festive and valuable food.
Rich Flavor from Traditional Salting
One of the great attractions of aramaki salmon is that the entire fish can be eaten. Because the meat is preserved in a relatively fresh state through salting, the process increases the concentration of amino acids and other flavor compounds, giving the salmon a particularly rich and savory taste.
The salmon can be simply grilled with salt or cooked with butter. It can also be prepared as salmon steaks, teriyaki, stews, and many other dishes. These preparations offer flavors and textures that are quite different from those of fresh salmon.
Making Use of the Whole Fish
Traditional Aomori cuisine makes excellent use of virtually every part of the salmon. The bony cartilage around the nose, known as hizume, can be prepared as namasu, a vinegared dish, or mixed with grated daikon in a preparation known as mizore-ae.
The skin can be made into a vinegared dish or grilled until crisp and enjoyed as a snack with drinks. The fins can be used to add flavor to hot pot broth, while the head is traditionally used to make sanpei-jiru, a hearty salted soup.
This approach means that very little of the salmon goes to waste. The practice reflects a traditional northern Japanese food culture in which valuable seasonal ingredients were preserved and used as completely as possible.
The Pleasure of Preparing a Whole Salmon
Breaking down a whole salmon can require some effort, especially for someone unfamiliar with handling a large fish. However, this is also part of the appeal of aramaki salmon.
Preparing the fish yourself and discovering how each part can be used offers a hands-on connection to traditional Japanese food culture. From the firm, savory meat to the skin, head, fins, and other parts, aramaki salmon is a specialty designed to be enjoyed from beginning to end.
For visitors interested in Aomori’s winter traditions, aramaki salmon provides a fascinating taste of the region’s relationship with salmon, cold-weather preservation, and New Year’s celebrations.