How much fugu cost

Fugu chefs consider themselves the elite of Japan's highly competitive culinary world. He started as an apprentice in a kitchen at the age of Training lasts at least two years but he was not allowed to take the practical test to get a licence until he was 20, the age people become a legal adult in Japan. A third of examinees fail. So proposals by Tokyo's city government to relax the rules have been met with an outcry from qualified chefs.

Coming into effect in October, they would allow restaurants to serve portions of fugu that they have bought ready-prepared off-site. We spent lots of time and money. To get this skill you have to practise by cutting more than a hundred fish and that costs hundreds of thousands of yen. The authorities in Tokyo impose stricter regulations than any other Japanese city.

In some, restaurants have already been able to sell pre-prepared fugu for a long time. And even in Tokyo these days, it is available over the internet and in some supermarkets - one reason why officials think the rules need updating. In terms of cost, it is likely fugu would become available in cheaper restaurants and pubs izakayas.

But going to a proper fugu restaurant to eat good wild-caught fish, prepared on-site, is quite a luxury - because of the cost, if nothing else - and also quite an event.

These days similar incidents still happen, but mostly because people see it as a chance to try it at home without the high-ticket fugu price at restaurants. It should come as no surprise that because of the threat to human health and safety, each prefecture has an ordinance on the handling of fugu and fugu preparation.

In Tokyo, considered to have some of the strictest regulations, only certified chefs who have undergone at least two years of training at fugu restaurants may sit the extremely difficult practical and theoretical examinations to obtain certification to prepare and serve the fish.

This has meant that in Tokyo, only restaurants with a certified fugu chef on staff can sell Japanese puffer fish dishes. At least that is how it used to be. This two-year training ordinance was enacted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in in response to numerous fugu poisoning deaths during post-WWII food shortages, mostly as a result of people catching their own Japanese puffer fish and cooking them without the necessary knowledge to do so safely.

The move was supported by the fugu restaurant industry who wanted fugu to be seen as a safe food to eat. The tight regulations helped to protect the industry in many ways, and allowed fugu to keep its prized elusiveness and prices high. However, as there were no restrictions on the sale of migaki fugu that is, fugu with the poisonous parts removed in 29 prefectures, it had become easy for Tokyo residents to buy the fish over the Internet, making the regulations somewhat outdated.

An increased online presence and a decline in fugu poisoning incidents in the capital in recent years Tokyo only had 7 cases over a period of a decade, with only one at a restaurant, and the only fatality that of a man who caught and cooked the fish himself , paved the way for a relaxation of laws regarding the sale of fugu, bringing Tokyo law more in line with current practice across the country. Since October , shops and restaurants that do not have certified fugu chefs on staff, have been able to buy migaki fugu prepared by said chefs and sell it to the public.

Shops and restaurants without a certified fugu chef must display a sign that states they only sell certified migaki fugu and are required to report to the metropolitan government. Fugu sashimi , or raw, is one of the most common ways to eat Japanese puffer fish. At fugu restaurants, fugu sashimi is usually cut razor thin and then arranged in a flower formation for presentation, specifically in the shape of a chrysanthemum. It's a little eerie when you think about it because the chrysanthemum symbolizes death in Japan and is often used at funerals, so never give them as a gift!

The raw fugu fish can then be dipped into a dipping sauce such as shoyu soy sauce. Although ponzu , a delicious citrus based sauce, is often used with fugu, as well as many other Japanese dishes.

Tataki is a Japanese cooking technique that involves searing the outside of a piece of meat or fish, so that only the very outside is cooked, while the inside remains raw. The meat is then cut into slices. In the case of fugu no tataki, the slices are generally thicker than those presented as sashimi. You may know the term karaage in reference to deep-fried chicken. But karaage is actually another Japanese cooking technique and simply refers to foods usually meat or fish being lightly coated in flour or starch and fried in oil.

This is perhaps deemed one of the best introductory options for first-timers, as the taste and cooking method is more familiar. Fugu may also be fried in a tempura batter, made of flour, egg and water, giving it a lighter, crispier exterior.

Sumibiyaki refers to another Japanese cooking technique, meaning char-grilled. Cooking fugu on a grill over a charcoal flame gives the fish a smoky flavor. Sumibiyaki fugu may be added to the grill as-is or brushed with a sauce to enhance flavor. Shirako is the Japanese term for milt or the male fish genitalia containing sperm. Fugu shirako with its creamy consistency is considered to be one of the most delectable parts for fugu fish connoisseurs. Shirako of cod, anko, salmon and squid is also commonly eaten in Japan.

Fugu shirako may be eaten several ways, such as coated in a light tempura batter and fried, eaten raw with ponzu and wasabi , or added to the nabe hot pot. Being a winter delicacy, fugu is widely used in nabe or hot pot, a popular dish during the colder months in Japan.

Tecchiri , or fugu chirinabe , is the name given to a type of nabe that uses fugu as the feature ingredient. The nabe pot is placed on a small gas cooker on the table, into which you boil a dashi broth and add your ingredients — such as add meat, vegetables, tofu and oden. The ingredients simmer away and stay hot during the meal. In fugu nabe, the broth is what gives the fish most of its flavor.

And is a highly sought after fish in Japan due to its exceptionally low-fat levels, high concentration of collagen in the skin , and high protein — giving this white fish a flavor profile, unlike others. Torafugu , or tiger fugu, is the coveted sub-species of fugu with the most distinctive flavor and, interestingly enough, the most lethal concentration of poison.

Regardless of how a fugu restaurant prepares the fish, the chef must be licensed to prove they can safely. This is thinly sliced meaty flesh of the fugu fish. Compared to sashimi from other fish, such as tuna, fugu has a very light, almost transparent appearance. And the way it is laid out on a transparent plate gives the overall dish a very fancy feel and the chance to see the quality of the fish. Usually, when you hear karaage, it refers to fried chicken, but this is fried fugu.

Much like other hot pot dishes in Japanese cuisine, this is Fugu meat and skin simmered with vegetables in a dashi broth. Yamadaya has been serving puffer fish for over years. Their fugu is caught in southern Japan and airlifted alive to their Tokyo restaurants. In Haedomari Market the fugu is auctioned off using a bag and hidden hand signals. Each potential buyer puts their hand in the bag and makes their bid secretly, before a successful bidder is chosen.

When selling such a dangerous food, safety is paramount. In , a supermarket accidentally sold five packets of the fish that hadn't had the poisonous liver removed, and the town used its missile-alert system to warn residents. The tetrodotoxin found in fugu is more toxic than cyanide, and each year about 20 people are poisoned from badly prepared fish. It takes a lot of skill and training to prepare the fish safely and know which parts are poisonous. The poisonous parts can vary by species, and hybrid species are appearing now that are even harder to tell apart.