From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Salmon | 400 g |
| Salmon milt (shirako) | a little |
| Salmon roe (sujiko) | a little |
| Tofu | 1 block |
| Konnyaku | 1 piece |
| Daikon radish | 150 g |
| Carrot | 100 g |
| Shiitake mushrooms | 4 |
| Burdock | 50 g |
| Long onion | 3 |
| Spinach | 100 g |
| Napa cabbage | 4 leaves |
| Green beans | 50 g |
| Dashi kombu | 3 pieces of 30 g |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Kombu stock | as needed |
Ishikari is a town at the mouth of the Ishikari River, famous for salmon. People in the Ishikari area have fished for salmon on a large scale since the Edo period.
The dish is said to have been a fishermen’s meal. When there was a big catch, the fishermen celebrated by putting chunks of fresh salmon, and the bones and bits left on them (called “ara”), straight into a pot of miso soup, and ate it as a reward.
From around the 1940s (Showa 20s), the salmon fishing with a drag net in Ishikari drew attention as a symbol of Hokkaido’s fishing industry, and many tourists came to watch it.
Because the net takes time to be drawn up, visitors had to wait, and the locals gave them ishikari-nabe. It became popular and then known across Japan.
It is a hot pot for cold winter days. Miso is used so that it warms the body, and it is cooked in a big pot and eaten hot.
Chunks of salmon and the ara go into kombu stock together with vegetables, and the flavor is set with miso. A sprinkle of sansho pepper at the end gives it a lift.
Onion, cabbage, long onion, daikon, shiitake and tofu are often used, but each family makes it differently. Some put salmon roe on top, and some add butter. The pot is also full of collagen from the salmon skin, which is lost when salmon is grilled.
In 2007, Ishikari City began the “Ishikari-nabe Revival Project” to increase the number of restaurants serving it, and a group called Aki-aji no Kai was founded to promote the town with this dish.
September 15 is Ishikari-nabe Day. It is the season when salmon is caught in the Ishikari area, and 9 and 15 can be read as “kui ni ikou” (“let’s go eat”) and “kuigoro” (“just right to eat”).
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.