Monkfish/Ankō (鮟鱇 or アンコウ)
This is a translation of an article from the December issue (#56) of Mainichi Shimbun's My Ibaraki (まいいばらき) newsletter.
A delicacy from Hitachi
In autumn and winter, if any of you want to mention a representative seasonal food, it would be the monkfish, a.k.a. ankō (鮟鱇). Recently, ankō has gained a reputation in eastern Japan as big as that of fugu (blowfish) in western Japan.
In Ibaraki, ankō is mostly known as Hitachi ankō (常陸アンコウ) or Jōban ankō (常磐アンコウ). Quality ankō is usually caught offshore in Ibaraki (off the Jōban shore, to the north of Kashima). This is where the Japanese and Kurile currents meet. The Kurile current carries a very nutritious salt that, when it is warmed up by the Japanese current, helps the formation of phytoplankton. Zooplankton, feeding on phytoplankton, grows and gets eaten by many kinds of fish. At the end of the food chain comes carnivore ankō for which hunting becomes easy in such a favorable and abundant growing environment.
Ankō spawns in spring and since it stocks up a lot of food during winter, it tends to get very fatty (especially the viscera). Also, because of the lower water temperature, ankō gets all tight and consequently extremely delicious.
Because of the water temperature and ocean tides, the best season to enjoy ankō is said to be between November and March.
During the Edo era it was usually presented as a gift from the Mito domain to the Shōgun. Even today it is occasionally offered to the Imperial court as a "Jōban delicacy" (常磐もの or Jōban mono).
Mode of life of ankō
There are different kinds of ankō: the 1.5-meter ki-ankō (Lophius litilon, also known as hon-ankō) and 40-centimeters ankō (Lophiomus setiregus, also known as kutsu-ankō) are mainly found on Japanese menus. Although they are 2 different species, they strikingly look very much alike. The ki-ankō's mouth is black inside while its head's skin flap is all straight. The ankō's mouth is dotted with white points inside while the skin flap is branch-like.
Most of ankō that are caught off Ibaraki's shore are ki-ankō (90% or more). With the exception of a portion of Hokkaidō, ankō range over the coasts of all Japanese islands, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. The body can be dark brown to blank, the mouth is big, and the head flat. The body surface is viscous. It is overall very soft and flat. Ankō dwell in the sediment depths of the sea (between 50 and 300 meters down) and move by using hand-like fins. The long tentacles on the head are used to lure and catch smaller fish.
In a year, the length reaches 25 cm, within two years ankō can be 40 cm long, and it is not too rare to see some grow up to one meter long. There are still many unsolved mysteries about ankō. However, we do know that they have extraordinarily huge appetites and eat almost anything that gets in their way. Probably due to the location of their habitat, ankō have no known predator.
Nutritious value
Visually grotesque, ankō does not seem very delicious but it actually is. What's more, it is an incredible nutrient source that is notably highly valued as a first-clast ingredient in the making of sophisticated flavors.
The white flesh is tender and contains 80% water. It is a very healthy fish with a large proportion of collagen and proteins, ideal to perfect one's complexion. These various reasons make ankō a very popular fish among women.
On the other side, there is ankan (あん肝 or ankō liver), the foie gras of the sea. There is a high amount of fat in the liver but this fat actually reduces the amount of cholesterol. It is very healthy as it contains some quantity of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) that burns fat. It also has docohexaenoic acid (DHA) which is said to be good for brain functions.
Ankō is cheap, delicious, healthy, and good for the skin. This is such an excellent fish that people say "there is nothing to be thrown away." Ankō also teaches that what counts the most is not what you see on the outside but what you can get from the inside.
Cook with ankō
Because large ankō is both extremely slippery-soft and hard to deal with on a regular chopping board, one common way is to practice what is called tsurushi-giri (つるし切り). This consists of cutting the fish open while it hangs on a ring-like piece of metal called a kanagu (金具). There is practically no left-over through this process and the cut parts are usually referred to as the "seven tools" (七つ道具 or nanatu-dōgu).
Major recipes include dobu-jiru (どぶ汁, ankō boiled in its own water), tomo-su (とも酢, mixture of miso and ankō crushed liver usually sprinkled over ankō) and sashimi (刺身).
It is only recently that ankō became a widely-known local specialty. Until 30 years ago, it was still exclusively consumed by local fisherman, but from the moment it was served in a guest house it is said that its popularity as a delicious dish spread everywhere.
Why not try some local ankō, the transitional taste between fall and winter?
