【Reading】つぼぬき

【English Name】Tsubonuki (gut removal through gills)

Tsubonuki is a uniquely Japanese preparation technique that removes only the gills and innards without putting a blade into the belly of the fish body. It is also called tsutsunuki or eranuki (gill removal).

Procedure
Insert disposable wooden chopsticks from the mouth or the gill-cover side of the fish, push them deep inside, then twist several times while slowly pulling them out. The mechanism is that the gills and innards wrap around the chopsticks and can be pulled out all together. Wooden chopsticks are suited because the unevenness of their surface makes it easier to catch the innards. For large fish, there is also a method of making a cut at the base of the gills with the tip of a blade and pulling them out from there.

Suitable fish
Small saltwater fish such as kisu (sillago), kamasu (barracuda), mebaru (rockfish), kasago (scorpionfish), and kinki (channel rockfish) are representative, and it is also used for river fish such as ayu (sweetfish) and niji-masu (rainbow trout). It is especially compatible with fish of soft flesh.

Uses and origin
It is an indispensable technique for dishes one wishes to finish without breaking the whole form of the fish, such as sugatayaki (whole grilled fish) or okashira-tsuki (served with head and tail intact). The background lies in the warrior-class food culture, in which the act of slitting the belly was regarded as ominous, and it is said to have arisen from kasago dishes for celebratory meals.