Fruit pairings give Japanese fish dishes a colourful new appeal
From tuna-and-mango rolls to salmon nigiri topped with peach, unconventional combinations are attracting attention amid concern over declining fish consumption.
- Unconventional dishes pairing seafood with fruit are being introduced in Japan to combat declining fish consumption, particularly among the young.
- The new combinations are gaining attention for their novelty, refreshing taste, and colourful, visual appeal.
- Examples from supermarkets and restaurants include tuna with mango in a sushi roll, red sea bream with orange, and fatty salmon with peach on nigiri.
- These dishes have been positively received by shoppers, who describe them as "original" and find the ingredients "unexpectedly going well together."
Fish consumption is declining in Japan, particularly among younger people, while unconventional dishes combining seafood with fruit are gaining attention for their appearance and refreshing appeal.
A fish market official believes the novelty could help rekindle demand, saying: “We hope that effectively pairing fish with fruit to give dishes a sense of novelty and visual flair will help spur fish consumption.”
Online recipes illustrate the range of possible combinations.
They include carpaccio made with tuna and melon, red sea bream paired with orange, and yellowtail served with grapefruit.
At Tobu Store Co., which operates supermarkets mainly in Tokyo and neighbouring Saitama Prefecture, minced tuna, spring onion and mango are brought together in a laver-wrapped sushi roll.
The retailer began selling it at selected outlets in late June, and the product was available at more than 40 stores in August.
Shoppers have described the roll as “original” and said the ingredients were “unexpectedly going well together”, according to a company buyer.
Explaining the commercial thinking behind the product, the buyer said: “We were developing tasty, visually appealing products while trying to curb their selling prices as much as possible, as shortages and high prices for aquatic products (such as saury and squid) became increasingly pronounced.”
A separate combination has become a hit at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward.
A hand-shaped piece of nigiri is topped with Yakuzen Salmon, a branded fish raised on land in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture, and peach simmered in red vinegar.
“We introduced it for foreign customers, but it turned out that (peach) goes well with the richly fatty salmon. We now serve it to Japanese customers as well,” the restaurant manager said.
The manager was also keen to explore further fish-and-fruit combinations.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
