Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

The Izu Peninsula is surrounded by Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay, and has been a region with a thriving fishing industry since ancient times. Many tourists visit the area in search of fresh seafood. One of the most popular is the alfonsino, caught in the sea off the eastern side of the Izu Peninsula. Its vibrant scarlet body and gorgeous appearance with large, shining golden eyes, as well as its fatty, soft, and mild flavor, attract many visitors. This time, we will visit Inatori, where alfonsino is actively caught, and delve into its appeal.

The town of Inatori sits on a small cape jutting out from the east coast of the Izu Peninsula. Blessed with hot springs, it attracts many tourists. Inatori Fishing Port comes into view as you drive along the coast. This is the base for Inatori's alfonsino fishing. Why is alfonsino fishing so popular in Inatori? To find out why, we visited the Inatori Branch of the Izu Fisheries Cooperative Association and spoke with Suzuki Sei, chairman of the steering committee.

"There are old documents remaining from the Meiji period that say that alfonsino fishing was caught while catching okigisu fish, which are used in fish paste. In the Taisho period, alfonsino fishing was carried out in Odawara using the same fishing methods as today's fish, and fishing in Inatori began when people learned the fishing method. Alfonsino has been eaten by locals for a long time, and whole boiled alfonsino was an indispensable dish at festivals, New Year's, and other celebratory occasions. After that, hot springs appeared in the 1950s, and an Izu Kyuko Line station was built in the 1960s, which led to many tourists coming to Inatori. From that time on, hot spring inns began serving alfonsino dishes, and their reputation spread widely by word of mouth." (Suzuki)

Inatori, the birthplace of Izu alfonsino fishing, focuses on local produce from nearby waters. The main fishing grounds are about 10km from the port, halfway between the Izu Peninsula and Izu Oshima. Inatori alfonsino is characterized by its plump, rounded body and thick, fatty flesh. It is currently trademarked as "Inatori alfonsino" and is also certified as a Shizuoka Prefecture brand "Mado".

"Inatori's alfonsinos have a good taste because they feed on seafood that is also delicious for humans, such as lanternfish, firefly squid, and cherry shrimp. They are at their fattiest and tastiest during the cold period from October to late March, when they spawn," said Suzuki.

As I was covering the story, fishing boats were returning to the port one after another from offshore. The boats set out to fish at sunrise. This is because alfonsinos gather in the early morning on the high parts of the seamounts on the ocean floor of the fishing grounds. They arrive at the fishing grounds at 4 a.m. in summer and 6 a.m. in winter and begin operations.

"The traditional fishing method used for catching alfonsino in Inatori is called tatenawa (standing rope fishing). A fishing tool called a 'kase' has up to 40 fishing hooks lined up vertically, and a large rod-shaped weight is attached to it and dropped into the sea. The bait is made of squid, bonito, or mackerel cut into strips. The fishing gear is dropped 220m in shallow areas and about 600m in deep areas. Recently, the tides have become faster, so it has become more difficult to drop the bait in the desired location without getting snagged." (Suzuki)

* Snag: When the hook gets caught on an underwater obstacle and becomes stuck.

The fishing boats that have caught alfonsino return to port by 15 p.m. Beautiful, freshly caught alfonsino are brought in one after the other. In fact, alfonsino is called "ginde (silver snapper)" in Inatori because its body shines silver while it is alive. The alfonsino are weighed and sorted by size before being shipped out.

"The small ones are around 300g to 400g, and the larger ones are around 800g to 1200g. We are no longer catching larger alfonsinos than before. Also, due to environmental changes caused by the large meandering of the Kuroshio Current and damage caused by dolphins, the catch has dropped significantly compared to its peak. For this reason, we are continuing our efforts to protect the Inatori alfonsino by conserving the resource, such as by not catching smaller alfonsinos," said Chairman Suzuki.

Next, we headed to "Inatori Kinmedai no Yado Hamabeso" located right in front of the fishery cooperative. This inn, which opened in 52, serves luxurious alfonsino dishes made with Inatori Kinmedai fish procured directly from the fishery cooperative.

"We go to the fishing association every day to purchase alfonsino. We try to select fatty alfonsino with a thick tail and a bulging head. You can tell if it's fatty just by cutting into it with a knife. We remove the organs of the alfonsino we purchase early and store it in the refrigerator. If it's frozen, the eyes will crack when it's boiled. Most of the guests who come to the alfonsino are there for the alfonsino. In our 'Inatori alfonsino all-you-can-eat plan,' we offer a variety of alfonsino dishes, such as boiled, salt-grilled, sashimi, tempura, hot pot, and fish soup." (Representative Suzuki)

So says Hiroyasu Suzuki, the company's representative. On this day, we were shown the classic boiled alfonsino. It was a magnificent alfonsino that seemed to overflow from the large plate. The luster that covered the bright red body of the fish was appetizing.

"We season it with a strong, sweet flavor to go well with the fish's plentiful fat. We also carefully adjust the heat when simmering so that the skin doesn't come off. The recommended part is the area around the pectoral fins. Because this is a part that moves around a lot, the meat is firm and delicious." (Representative Suzuki)

When you put your chopsticks into the fish, the flesh will come apart softly. When you bring it to your mouth, the smooth flesh mixed with the sweet and spicy broth is delicious! The firmness of the flesh varies depending on the part, allowing you to enjoy different flavors.

One surprising dish was boiled roe and milt of alfonsino. Apparently, this can only be eaten around here, as it can only be caught from fresh alfonsinos caught during the spawning season in summer.

If you visit, be sure to try the alfonsino dishes that are unique to Inatori.