わが家近くの河原で毎日のようにサケの産卵・次世代への引継の神聖ないのちの絶唱をみつめていると、買い物で入手するさまざまな魚類のことが心理に深く「入ってくる」。
　先日も、産卵を終わったと思えるメスのサケが体力をすべて使い切って、水深のほとんどない河原で横たわっている様子を凝視していて、思わず「その最期は謹んで食す」のが、最善の「供養」と思えていました。さすがにそれは自重して自然のままに放置していました。そのような魚類のいのちの「いとなみ」を見ると、さらに鮮魚店で購入する魚類にも感情移入する。いや、思わさる（北海道弁）。
　写真はタコの口（くちばし）の周辺の筋肉の「タコとんび」と捌いたニシン。
　タコとんびはタコの中にある黒く硬いくちばし（あご）の形が、鳥の「トンビ」のくちばしに似ていることからこのように呼ばれるようになったもの。タコ1匹から1つしか取れないため、貴重な珍味とされる。カニの甲羅を砕くほどタコが日常的に使っている筋肉のため、非常にコリコリとした弾力があり、噛むほどに旨味が出てくるヤツ。余市の鮮魚店ではじめて購入して以来、ご近所の食品店でも目にして、ちょこちょこ、家庭料理メニューから途切れないように購入しています。わたしの場合は、塩ゆでして冷ませてから、黒い「くちばし」を手で外して身だけにしてほぼ１口大に切り分け、酢醤油などで味付けして食します。１日に食べるのはほんの２−３切れ程度ですが、楽しくて欠かせない一品。いつも購入している店舗では、非常にお手頃価格で、10コ程で300円程度と庶民的。
　一方は北海道の地サカナとも思えるニシン。ナマのニシンを捌くのですが、もうすっかり定番捌きになっていて、非常に楽しい。通常は３匹で300円程度。３枚におろして冷凍させておいて、焼いて食します。こちらもわたしはほんの少々、写真の１枚の1/5程度で十分。しかし、息子や嫁さんたちは、モリモリと１枚食べきったりする（笑）。若さは素晴らしい。
　焼き魚にすると、その独特の味わい、風味が北海道ネイティブなマインドを刺激してくれる。今回のヤツは超大型で４匹で800円。しかも１匹はメスで筋子入り。捌いているとそういう楽しみも満喫できる。
　高齢期のたのしみ、日々のサカナ捌きのご紹介でした。

●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⬇

[Fun Ways to Prepare Octopus and Herring with a Knife and by Hand]
As I enter my golden years, working with a knife has become my “ultimate joy.” I’m deeply grateful to these fish—which brighten up my daily life at such an affordable price (laughs). …

　When I watch the salmon spawning near the riverbank close to my home—that sacred, final chorus of life as they pass the torch to the next generation—almost every day, the various kinds of fish I buy at the store really “sink in” deep within me.
　Just the other day, as I gazed intently at a female salmon—who appeared to have finished spawning—lying on the riverbank in water that was barely deep enough, having completely exhausted her strength, I couldn’t help but feel that “respectfully eating her at the end of her life” would be the best way to “honor her memory.” Of course, I refrained from doing so and left her to rest in peace. When I witness such “struggles” for life in fish, I find myself empathizing even more with the fish I buy at the fish market. Or rather, it makes me feel that way (in Hokkaido dialect).
The photo shows “takotobi”—the muscles around an octopus’s beak—and a filleted herring.
Takotobi got its name because the shape of the black, hard beak (jaw) inside the octopus resembles the beak of a “tonbi” (kite). Since only one can be extracted from each octopus, it’s considered a rare delicacy. Because it’s a muscle the octopus uses daily—even to crush crab shells—it has a very crunchy, springy texture, and the more you chew it, the more umami flavor comes out. Ever since I first bought it at a fish market in Yoichi, I’ve spotted it at neighborhood grocery stores too, so I buy it here and there to make sure it never goes missing from our home cooking menu. Personally, I boil them in salted water, let them cool, then remove the black “beak” by hand to separate the meat. I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and season it with soy sauce and vinegar before eating. I only eat about two or three pieces a day, but it’s a delightful and indispensable dish. At the shop where I usually buy them, they’re very affordable—about 300 yen for 10 pieces—making them a true everyday treat.
　On the other hand, there’s herring, which I consider a true Hokkaido local fish. I fillet raw herring, and it’s become such a routine task that I really enjoy it. Usually, three fish cost about 300 yen. I fillet them into three pieces, freeze them, and then grill them to eat. I only need a tiny bit of this—about one-fifth of the fillet shown in the photo is plenty for me. However, my son and daughter-in-law wolf down an entire fillet (laughs). Youth is wonderful.
　When grilled, its unique taste and aroma really appeal to the Hokkaido soul. The ones I got this time were extra-large—four for 800 yen. What’s more, one was a female with roe. Preparing them lets me fully enjoy that kind of little pleasure, too.
That was my introduction to the joys of old age: preparing fish every day.

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

Posted on 10月 11th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類