Fishy Fishy Fishy Fish

It wouldn’t be truthful of me to say that I’m a big fish eater. My mum would never forgive me if I led you to believe that there has been some kind of omission in my childhood diet, this is not the case. I’ve just never really made an effort to regularly put it on the menu. That... has dramatically changed. In the first three weeks that i’ve been here, I have eaten a whole lot of fish, and fish related products.

“How much fish (and fish related products)?”, I hear you ask. Here's a selection.


Fried Octopus Balls. Served with something akin to barbecue sauce and sweet mayo, these guys are actually a lot better than they sound.

Grilled Righteye Flounder. Not to be confused with that good-for-nothing Lefteye Flounder. Eat the skin, fins and all. A true connoisseur leaves only the top of the head.

Sea Urchin Eggs. This... I could have done without.

Prawn Sashimi. That’s raw prawn, for the uninitiated. Slimy, yet satisfying. (Hakuna matata)

Prawn Pizza. They just put fish everywhere here. Predictably delicious.

Deep Fried Shrimp. Eat these guys whole, shells, heads, tails and all. Yum Yum!

Tempura Shrimp. The batter is light and fluffy and crispy. You cannot go wrong here.

Horse Mackerel Sushi. Probably one of the fishier tasting ones. No joke.

Salted Salmon. Think peppered mackerel, only saltier. And salmon. This came in a bento box and really hit the spot.

Sardine Sushi. A little more melt in the mouth than the other fish.

Tuna Sashimi. I found out that too much raw tuna can actually cause mercury poisoning. I also found out that I don’t care. Easily the best fish on the planet.

Tuna with Avocado Sushi. See above. The avocado really makes it.

Crab in Steamed Egg. This is sorta like a cross between chowder and scrambled egg. Really nice, delicate flavours.

Fresh Water Eel. Didn’t really know what to make of this. It was okay, I guess. I think these are in season now. The local curry house has some kind of eel special at the moment.

Salt Water Eel. Pretty much the same as it’s fresh water cousin, only bigger. Well, I got a bigger slice anyway.

Salmon Roe. First day here, I had this. The eggs are a really vibrant reddish-orange and they pop in your mouth. Almost refreshing. But also a little gross. In two minds about these guys.

Fish Jelly. It looks like jelly. It feels like jelly. It tastes like fish. I think you can make up your own mind on whether that’s a good thing or not.

Octopus Rice Crackers. These were... not bad. I wouldn’t rush off to buy a box for a snack though. I mean, they are still crackers with dried octopus bits on top. But all things considered, they’re okay.

Whelk. This was actually a free sample at a supermarket. I have horrible, horrible memories of eating periwinkle after periwinkle until I could stand no more on a certain family camping trip. These little shells just stirred up too many bad memories. In all seriousness, I must have walked up to that stand three times before I finally summoned up the courage and ate one. After all that, they’re actually really nice. These were soaked in soy sauce. What isn't?

Pickled Mackerel. They like pickled things here.

Turban Shell. A really, really big whelk type thing. Having faced my fears already, I was a lot keener to try out this lad. You don’t eat the brown bit. It’s bitter. Really bitter.



Oh, and whatever else is in this thing.

I never thought I'd say this, but apparently I highly recommend raw crab! Enjoy the photo  :)