From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Hamo (with the bones cut) | 1 piece |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Sauce | 6 tablespoons (dark soy sauce 4 : sake 5 : mirin 1) |
Hamo lives in seas touched by warm currents. A few tonnes a year are landed in the sea of Tango, but most of the hamo eaten in Kyoto comes from the Seto Inland Sea and the Genkai Sea.
Hamo looks like an eel or conger and can grow to almost 2 m. A large one is said to be more than 10 years old. By day it hides in sand, mud or rock holes; at night it is active and likes to eat fish, shrimp and crabs. Its mouth has rows of sharp teeth, and it is fierce. Even after it is landed, it may thrash about and bite.
Despite its looks, its flesh is beautiful white meat with a light taste.
Hamo has many small bones and takes much work to prepare. It still took root in Kyoto because hamo is so strong that it can be carried to Kyoto alive from far away, it is said.
Hamo is in season from early summer to midsummer and into autumn. Because it takes so much work, it is rarely made at home and is usually eaten in restaurants.
The Gion Festival, held from July 1 to 31, is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is also known as the “Hamo Festival,” and hamo dishes are served as festival food.
The fish is brushed with a soy-based sauce and grilled teriyaki-style, or grilled with salt. It goes with rice and also with drinks.
The flesh of hamo is thin, so grilling it over high heat makes it dry and hard. The heat has to be watched. In restaurants, some offer a full hamo course of grilled hamo, hamo shabu-shabu and hamo sushi.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.