【Reading】えどまえのしごと

【English Name】Edomae Preparation Techniques

"Edomae no shigoto" (the work of Edomae) is a general term for the preparation and cooking techniques that a sushi chef applies to the neta. In the Edo period, when there was no refrigeration equipment, it developed as ingenuity for maintaining the freshness of seafood while enhancing umami.

As representative techniques, mainly the following five are known.

• Su-jime (vinegar-curing): using salt and vinegar on kohada, mackerel, sillago, etc., to improve preservability and flavor
• Zuke (marinating): soaking the lean red meat of tuna in a soy-sauce-based seasoning liquid to add umami and aroma
• Niru (simmering): slowly cooking anago, hard clam, etc., in a sweet-and-savory simmering liquid
• Kobu-jime (kelp-curing): sandwiching white-fleshed fish such as flounder in kelp to transfer umami while drawing out moisture
• Yuderu (boiling): blanching shrimp and the like to finish them

Furthermore, brushing "nikiri" (soy sauce combined with mirin and brought to a boil) onto the nigiri before serving is also part of the work. These methods are not limited to preservation purposes but have the effect of concentrating and transforming the flavor of the ingredients. While there are now many shops that make nigiri raw, Edomae sushi restaurants that value tradition still serve neta to which work has been applied.