【Reading】かわしも/ゆしも

【English Name】Kawashimo

At the part where a fish's skin meets the flesh, rich umami is concentrated, yet the skin itself is tough and often unsuitable for eating raw. The two techniques of preparing sashimi that resolve this contradiction are kawashimo and yushimo. Their common underlying principle is to apply a momentary heat to the skin surface alone, softening its toughness while making full use of the umami.

Kawashimo-zukuri—Place a skin-on block with the skin side up, cover it with a cloth, pour boiling water over it all at once, and immediately chill it in ice water. When applied to sea bream, the name matsukawa-zukuri ("pine-bark cut") is often used.

Yushimo-zukuri—Briefly dip a block or fillet into high-temperature water for only an instant, then move it without delay into cold water to halt the residual heat. It is also known as shimofuri-zukuri or yubiki. The water temperature guideline is about 70 degrees, and the rule is to pull it out the moment the surface turns faintly white. Overheating results in a half-cooked or half-raw finish, so delicate skill in temperature control and timing is essential.

The benefit common to both techniques is that they remove the odor and sliminess from the surface of the ingredient while at the same time lightly firming the protein to prevent the outflow of umami.