Can you eat shark hearts?! [Internship article]

Hello. My name is Sugimura and I am interning at Kesennuma Regional Strategy for one month. I am originally from Shizuoka prefecture and currently attend university in Miyazaki prefecture. I wanted to experience and learn various things in a place I have never been to before, so I decided to intern in Kesennuma.

I would like to introduce you to Mouka no Hoshi, which shocked me when I came to Kesennuma!

1. What is Mouka Star?

Have you ever heard of "Mouka no Hoshi"? Mouka means a mouse shark, and the star means the heart, so Mouka no Hoshi means the heart of a mouse shark. You can buy it at most fish shops in Kesennuma.

Words don't do it justice, so I'll show you a picture. This is Mouka's star!

I was really surprised when I first saw this scene of hearts lined up. I honestly thought, "It's just a heart! Can you really eat something like that?"

In Kesennuma, Mouka no Hoshi is commonly eaten as sashimi, but when I heard that this was going to be eaten as sashimi I was a little worried... I wondered if it would be surprisingly delicious when I tried it, and thought to myself, so this time I decided to cook it myself.

2. I tried to cut up the Mouka star

First, the fish is drained of blood, and it is important to drain it thoroughly. If the blood is not drained thoroughly, the fish will have a bad smell and will not taste good.

Once all the blood has been thoroughly drained, the next step is to insert the knife.

When I cut it open, the cross section looked exactly like a heart, which was quite shocking...can it really be eaten as sashimi?

After this, cut it into thin bite-sized pieces and chill it in ice water and it's done.

It looks similar to raw liver.

3. What does Mouka Star taste like?

The Kesennuma way to eat Mouka no Hoshi is with vinegared miso. I've heard that sesame oil and salt are also recommended. This time I'll try both.

First of all, the texture is soft but elastic, like konjac.

As for how to eat it, I personally think it tastes best with vinegar and miso, but if you want something lighter like raw liver, you'll probably also like sesame oil and salt.

As for the taste, I'm sorry, but the only way I can describe it is that it has a "adult taste." You can't really convey it until you try it!

4. Kesennuma Shark Fishing

Now, I would like to tell you about Kesennuma's shark fishing, which I heard about from a fishmonger.

Kesennuma is the number one shark fin producing city in Japan, but it has suffered from negative rumors in the past. At one time, environmental protection groups falsely accused Kesennuma of being a finning factory, taking only the fins of sharks and throwing away everything else.

However, in reality, shark meat is processed and sold as kamaboko (fish cake), shark nuggets are served in local school lunches, the skin is used to make belts and bags, and the cartilage is used as an ingredient in nutritional supplements. In Kesennuma, it is important to use almost every part of the shark, including the Mouka no Hoshi introduced in this article.

XNUMX.Finally

You can only eat fresh mouka stars in Kesennuma. After trying to prepare them myself, I realized that eating them at a restaurant is tastier and, above all, easier. So, I'd like to introduce you to some restaurants where you can eat mouka stars!

<If you want to eat Mouka no Hoshi>

Good fortune

2-5-5 Uomachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture　trip advisor

Ping Pong

1-2-3 Minamimachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture　eating log

<If you want to buy Mouka Stars>

Isoya Fisheries

1-3 Minatomachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture　website

Hamayoshi

Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma City Fish Market Front 7-13 Umi no Ichi 1F　Sea City Home Page

Abecho Shoten

Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma City Fish Market Front 7-13 Umi no Ichi 1F　website

Photo and interview assistance provided by:　Isoya Fisheries,Hamayoshi