Thursday, March 27, 2008

Ayu Shioyaki from a Yatai

A Yatai Selling Ayu Shioyaki

One of my favorite things to do on the road is to hunt down street food. And while Japan has an overwhelming number of places to eat, it's not often that I've been able to come across street vendors. But today, the cherry blossoms were in full swing in Tokyo, so a number of yatai had been setup in for the hanami matsuri festival.

All sorts of things were being sold, ranging from takoyaki to yakisoba and even candied strawberries. But the thing that really got me excited were the little trout skewers inserted upright around little fire pits where they roasted away with nothing more than a little bit of salt. I grabbed one for 500 Yen (US$5).

Ayu Shioyaki

Actually, it wasn't a little bit of salt...it was a lot of salt. It was so salty that parts of it were nearly inedible. But when I managed to get to other parts where salt had fallen off, it did end up being a tasty treat, complete with bones soft enough to eat. Looking back, I guess the proper practice would have been to scrape off some of the excess salt with my finger first...is that right?

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