I just have to give a shout-out to this delicious dish. I won an award for a short story and the sushi chef gave us this dish on the house. I believe it is hamachi cheekbone grilled, perfectly fatty and juicy with a unique flavor – and is probably my favorite meal ever (as long as it is not overcooked). I could probably eat it every week if I was really feeling spendy.
Does anyone know if it’s a common meal in Japan? I’ve tried salmon Kama also but it didn’t hit the same. What else should I try if I like Hamachi Kama?
Pic found via this recipe which tells more about the dish: https://thetopmeal.com/hamachi-kama/
by glorifindel
5 Comments
Just buy the raw product from your local fish market and broil it yourself with sea salt. Buy a bottle of ponzu and if you feel like it grate some daikon. Boom, you’re done!
I agree, hamachi is my favorite fish overall.
I make hamachi kama once every couple of weeks. Usually simple shioyaki but sometimes I’ll make some teriyaki sauce for it. Hell, even with some yuzu kosho. It’s just so good.
Years ago I was a chef at a Japanese restaurant and it was the kitchen’s favorite “secret” food. That’s where I discovered it and how delicious it is.
I absolutely love this!! So delicious!
One of my favorite dishes at my favorite Japanese restaurant where I live.
Hamachi Kama is the collar of the fish. When most people fillet a fish, they cut down behind the collar, then along the spine to get a single clean piece. This leaves the collar attached to the head, where it’s often trimmed later as a treat for the staff. For a long time, restaurant diners didn’t like to dig the pieces of meat out of the collar, they thought it was messy and not attractive, but it has become much more popular recently, in the US anyway.
The fillet is the muscle that the fish uses to swim, so it’s lean and quite even. The collar doesn’t move much, as has all sort of cartilage structures, so the pieces of meat are small and fatty.
Hamachi Kama is one of my absolute favorites Japanese cooked dishes. The collar of most steak fish is great, salmon collar is lovely, and much more available and less expensive than hamachi in the US. The fatty meat reacts very well to high heat broiling, and can be eaten plain, or sauced heavily, as the fatty meat reacts stands up to big flavors.