What is Katsobushi?

Katsobushi is a traditional Japanese component made of dried tuna skipjack. Dried fish are processed into flakes that are used as a spice or as a flavored base to prepare other meals. It is often paired with dried seaweed to taste various authentic Japanese meals and give them a distinctive taste. Boiled pieces of fish are then smoked for up to 20 days until they have an extremely hard texture. They can then be dried in the sun. The whole process can be repeated several times to ensure the texture that is as difficult as possible. These hardened pieces of fish are then grated or very dark chopped for the production of harsh flakes, similar to the texture of the shavings of wood.

One of the most traditional use of Katsobushi is to create dashi . Dashi is a traditional Japanese broth, which often forms the basis for most soups, sauces, noodles and other Japanese appetizers and spices. RushesWhite with cooking dried flakes with tuna skipping and dried seaweed flakes in hot water for a long time. Once the fish and seaweed are cooked long enough to taste the water, the solid pieces are removed from the mixture and the remaining broth is used for Japanese meals. One of the most common uses of Dashi is MISO, soup made of Dashi and Bean, rice or barley.

In Japanese cuisine, Katsobushi is also often used as a spice or icing. Dried Skipjack Tuna flakes can be drizzled with soy sauce to add moisture and taste. They can be sprinkled to noodles, tofu or rice dishes. Fish flakes are also often combined with sesame seeds or nori, leaves of dried and flattened seaweed and serve as ornaments.

When Katsobushi Flakes are combined with steam, they can move quickly. It is most often when they are sprinkled on soups or other hot appetizers. Due to this sudden movement, dried Tuna skipjack flakes are also commonly referred to as J JAKO Dancing fish flakes .

Commercial flakes Katsobushi are usually available in two main textures: strong and thin. The strong version of the flake tends to have a stronger fish taste and are more often used to make Dashi broth. Thin fish flakes are usually purchased more often for icing and spices because they have a finer texture that many can consider tastier.