Ushioya Higashi Chaya

Buri is traditionally a fish caught during the winter seasons, where the fish have a good portion of fat giving rice to its rich taste. In order to maintain the quality throughout the year, Ushioya, uses domestically farmed buri to ensure that the quality of the fish remains consistent. During the winter months, they will also sell special buri dishes that take advantage of the taste of wild caught buri and its fatty meat.

To make buri tataki, the meat is prepared using sea salt specially sourced from the Okunoto Shioda Village which still produces salt using the 500-year-old traditional Agehama method. Wooden buckets of seawater are carried to sand fields to be crystallised, scattered and then boiled to produce the sea salt with no additives. This salt is then used to prepare the buri which is then quickly broiled in a large burner to produce a charred exterior, while keeping the interior raw and fresh.