[kinka-saba shime te konya no sake no ate]
Kinka mackerel
cleaned and cured
perfect with tonight's sake


三陸の海が育んだ『金華鯖』
石巻港に揚がる大型のマサバの中でも、
厳しい選別をくぐり抜けたわずかな鯖だけが、
その名を名乗ります。
黒潮と親潮が出会う金華山沖は、
海の栄養が満ちる豊かな場所。
ここに居つく鯖は回遊せず、
たっぷりと脂と旨みを蓄えて大きく育ちます。
海の恵みに感謝し、
金華鯖を丁寧に捌き、塩と酢でしめていく。
手間をかけた分だけ、
今夜の酒の肴は旨みを増していきます。
暮らしの中にある、ささやかな贅沢を、
磨さんは川柳に詠みました。
“Kinka Mackerel,” nurtured by the seas of Sanriku
Among the large Pacific chub mackerel landed at Ishinomaki Port, only a select few—those that pass rigorous inspection—are granted the right to bear this name.
The waters off Kinkasan, where the Kuroshio and Oyashio currents meet, are a rich sea filled with nutrients.
Mackerel that settle in this area do not migrate; instead, they grow large, storing an abundance of fat and deep flavor.
Grateful for the blessings of the sea, the Kinka mackerel is carefully filleted, then cured with salt and vinegar. The more care and time it takes, the deeper the flavor of tonight’s sake accompaniment becomes.
Migaku-san captured this quiet luxury found in everyday life in a senryu poem.
