Yes, real grasshoppers. And damn tasty, too. I am all about my alternative proteins.
In Japanese they're called inago, usually prepared tsukudani-style; sweet and delicious and crunchy.
My kids are absolutely mad for tsukudani little shrimps and fishes. Actually, my kids are mad for all kinds of fish. This weekend they both totally nommed on several ayu-no-shioyaki (salt-covered and grilled on a stick; my wife's favorite), and I have become most proficient at pulling off the head and dragging out the entire spinal column with nearly all the bones. The key is to rip off the tail and squish up the meat to loosen it off the bone, then the whole head-and-bones just slides right out.
Daughter loves the skin, so once the bones are out she just starts picking and nibbling.
My son also lacks in subtley and just stuffs his face onto the place, taking big bites out of whatever is near his mouth. This weekend he got lucky and scored a fat komochi; biting into the fish he was rewarded with a mouthful of roe and he was smiling ear-to-ear as he squished the little fish eggs.
Speaking of which, last time I went to sushi with a bunch of tourists from the USA, they seemed to have the biggest issue with ikura. No idea why. I mean, you eat chicken foetus, so what's wrong with unborn fishes?
Then again I also love me some uni, though I am not a big fan of shirako, and no I'm not being pesci-homophobic.
I also don't really groove on mollusks, raw or cooked. Except for hotate. I am an absolute fan of the mighty scallop.
Damn, I am glad I live in an island nation. I will take quality sushi over a nice steak any day!
I'm not as brave as your kids. Still don't love eating whole fishes with the tail and eyes and everything, even if they're the little dried ones.
ReplyDelete