さてきのうは、孫育てで奮闘中の息子夫婦から孫を預かってと頼まれ子守り。ついでに日頃の慰労のために寿司を握って上げるよ、との約束日。
　母乳子育てまっ盛りの息子の嫁さんが「鯛、大好物」というリクエストだった。おおそうか。それじゃぁ間接的に孫にも「栄養・滋味」は以心伝心するなぁ、と。そこでジジババ夫婦で札幌中央市場に見に行った。鯛って北海道ではあんまりメインではない魚種なので季節感もよくわからない。夫婦で温泉に行く道すがら立ち寄ってみた。
　あちこちの店を見て回ったが「こりゃぁ、ないわ」と諦めかけていたら最後の１軒で写真の丸々としたヤツが１匹だけ堂々と佇んでいた・・・。そう、まるで陸上動物並みのサイズ感。体重2kg。「待っていたぜ、ぬふふ」みたいな雰囲気だったのです（笑）。見ると実に丸々なので当然内臓も入ったマンマ。店のオヤジさんに「どう捌いたら良いの？」と問いかけたら鯛の言葉のように「いい手があるぜ、ぬふふ」というお言葉。
　「え、なにさ、もったいつけないで、教えてよ」と懇願したら「なんも、youtube動画さぁ！」という最新メディア情報一択宣言。「そっかぁ、了解」であります。オールドメディア沈黙。
　鯛は以前にも捌いたことがあるけれど、そのとき内臓を抜き取ったかどうか、失念。
　とにかくやたらウロコの硬さ・量、骨の硬さに驚かされた記憶。

　ちょうどよく先日この「ウロコ取り」金物を夫婦買い物で購入してもいた。
　ということで動画再生と鯛捌きの同時並行作業で無事、捌ききった。ものすごい骨の硬さで愛用の「出刃」が獅子奮迅の大活躍。っていうか、ヘトヘトにさせられておりました。無事完捌き。
　途中一回だけ、刃先が小指に触れて、擦過傷ちょっぴり。
　同時進行でアラ汁にしましたがさすがに2kgと大物で、大鍋なみなみ。これが応えられない美味。
　その後、冷凍庫のなかの寿司ネタと併せて全150カン超を握りまくった。あ、鯛もいったん冷凍して解凍。無用の食中毒撃退のためにはこれが一番安全策。子孫に禍根を残したくない。
　・・・ということで、鯛が主役の握りでしたが鯛自体は1/3ほどしか使っていないので、残りはわが家冷凍庫に収容されております。自然解凍で刺身もまた、よさげ。
　しかしさすがにバタンキューで途中小用１回の熟睡９時間の朝であります、ふ〜。

＜写真２枚目の寿司はわが家の「残り」保存分。150カン全体は撮影忘れ（泣）＞

●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

[Filleting a Sea Bream and Making Sushi for the First Time in a While: About 150 Pieces]
Even after using a large sea bream to make over 40 pieces of nigiri sushi, two-thirds of it is still sitting in the freezer. I was completely absorbed in filleting—a joyful, carefree state of mind. …

　So yesterday, my son and his wife—who are usually busy raising their child—asked me to watch their grandchild, and I promised to make them some sushi as a thank-you.
　My daughter-in-law, who’s in the thick of breastfeeding, requested sea bream, saying, “It’s my favorite.” Oh, I see. Well then, I thought, the “nutrition and flavor” will indirectly be passed on to my grandchild through telepathy. So my husband and I, the grandpa and grandma, decided to head over to Sapporo Central Market to check it out. Since sea bream isn’t really a staple fish in Hokkaido, I wasn’t quite sure when it was in season. We stopped by on our way to a hot spring.
　We looked around at various stalls, but just as we were about to give up, thinking, “Nope, nothing here,” we found a single, plump specimen standing proudly in the very last shop… Yes, it was practically the size of a land animal. It weighed 2 kg. It had an air about it that seemed to say, “I’ve been waiting for you, heh heh” (laughs). It looked so plump that, naturally, it was still full of innards. When I asked the shop owner, “How should I fillet this?” he replied, as if speaking the language of sea bream, “I’ve got a good trick, heh heh.”
“Huh? What is it? Don’t keep me in suspense—tell me!” I pleaded. “Nothing special—just a YouTube video!” he declared, opting for the latest media solution. “Oh, okay, got it,” I said.
　I’ve filleted sea bream before, but I couldn’t remember if I’d removed the innards that time.
Anyway, I remember being really surprised by how hard and thick the scales were.

　Fortunately, my wife and I had just bought this “scaling tool” the other day.
So, by watching the video and filleting the sea bream at the same time, I managed to finish the job successfully. The bones were incredibly hard, so my trusty “deba” knife really had to work overtime. Or rather, it left me completely exhausted. Successfully filleted.
　Just once during the process, the blade tip grazed my little finger, leaving a tiny scratch.
Since it was a 2kg beast, I made a broth from the scraps, and the large pot was filled to the brim. It was an irresistibly delicious treat.
After that, I combined it with the sushi ingredients in the freezer and made over 150 pieces of nigiri. Oh, and I froze the sea bream first and then thawed it. This is the safest way to prevent food poisoning. I don’t want to leave a legacy of trouble for my descendants.
…So, while the sea bream was the star of the nigiri, I only used about a third of it, so the rest is now stored in my freezer. It should make for some nice sashimi once it thaws naturally.
But I’m completely wiped out—I fell asleep immediately, took a quick bathroom break, and slept for nine straight hours. Phew.

● Announcement
My book, “Writers and Living Spaces,” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.

Posted on 4月 5th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類