Many dish has it own unique historical anecdote like the one of Beggar’s chicken and Hoba-yaki, my previous blog. How Shiogama-Yaki was invented was very intrigue to me. So, I did some Japanese online site search for the historical story. Most of the sites depicts the same story. “Toyotomi Hideyoshi,16th century supreme military commander of Japan, before going out for expedition to Korea sent a gift of whole sea bream cooked in a thick layer of salt crust to his mother so that she could enjoy the best, juiciest and most flavorful fish.” Sea bream is known in Japan as a good luck meal ingredient. So, I presume that Toyotomi Hideyoshi might thought that his mother will pray for his safe, successful return to Japan while enjoying the fish. This is the beginning of Shiogama-Yaki preparation in Japan.
The story only goes this far. The name of the cook who invented this dish, and under which condition he came up with this stunning idea are not there. Shiogama-yaki preparation requires lots of salt. It may be true that the use of expensive salt in a large quantity was only possible in this powerful commander’s kitchen.
When it comes to recipe there are several variations on the ratio of salt and egg white. 1 egg white with 1 kilogram of salt seems to be the best proportion. Adding a little water to this mixture helps to create crust which is easily broken. In order to prevent direct contact of salt to the fish, I wrap the fish in bamboo leaves. Against my expectation the fish did not take up unique flavor of the leaf. I will try it with other material. Cooking time of this dish depends on the size of the fish you are cooking. Cook it in the oven heated at 450 degree F until the crust is lightly golden. Bring it to the table with a little hammer and enjoy the cracking ceremony!