… Anatomy of an ingredient . “Another local fish Suzuki makes good use of is koi (carp). Thanks to the outstanding purity of the water, the fish has none of its usual muddiness. Instead, the flavor of the carp belly is light enough to serve as sashimi or as the topping for a simple temari (hand-formed) sushi which Suzuki finishes with a topping of fermented radish mix. This is served as the “shime”, the closing rice dish that tells you dessert will soon be on its way. . But earlier in the meal we have already been served the same humble fish, elevated to new, unlikely heights. “Fillets of the fish (aged for 5 days) are grilled and served over delicate sōmen wheat noodles. Because carp contain numerous tiny bones, their flesh has to be prepared using the same cutting technique as for hamo (pike conger eel): the chef must slice numerous fine incisions through the delicate meat, each just half a millimeter apart.” . Insane knife skills. Lovely fragrant broth from katsuo-kombu-asari (freshwater clam). Zest of citrus. Powdered fermented nozawana greens. Gorobei (local) rice. . “Was it dry aged?” I asked Suzuki. “Only the skin,” he says. “To keep it crisp. The rest of the fillet is wet-aged.” Quite remarkable. . And in the glass… For the grilled fish on noodles: Maître de Chai (Zinfandel Rosé from the Clements Hills) . For the temari-zushi: another rose, this time Folium (from Marlborough) . Naz in Karuizawa. What a meal it is, bringing all of Suzuki’s influences to bear: Italian, Nordic and, increasingly, homegrown Japanese. . The full story is up online here: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/02/11/food-drink/destination-restaurants-naz-karuizawa-nagano/ . #naz #nazkaruizawa #karuizawa #nagano #chefnatsukisuzuki #shinshukoi #carp #temarizushi #carpbellysashimi #fermentedradish #foliumrose #grilledcarp #somen #noodles #maitredechai #destinationrestauants #destinationrestaurants2023 #thejapantimes #sustainablejapan #ナッズ #軽井沢 #信州鮭 #燻製 #鈴木夏暉シェフ #デスティネーションレストラン #ジャパンタイムズ #ジャパンタイムズキューブ
… Anatomy of a signature dish 1 . “The year-round signature dish at Naz is a freshwater fish: Shinshu "salmon" — actually a cross breed of rainbow trout and brown trout — raised in pure mountain river water. Chef Natsuki Suzuki brings a whole side of a 3-year-old fish to the table as a show-and-tell: It’s been aged for more than 10 days and then smoked. Now it will be slow-cooked at low temperature, flaked, formed into a small mound and encased under slices of lightly fermented kabu turnip. As he serves it at the table, Suzuki pours on a sauce made from fermented tomato and pomegranate juice, adding fig leaf oil to create a beautiful mottled surface of pink and green.” . On the side he also places small chunks of the “salmon” aged for 20 days: one with slivers of kumquat citrus; the other with a delicate slice of one-month narazuke pickle. Genius. . And in the glass: Quinto Quarto Bianca Sivi — that’s skin contact Pinot Grigio to the rest of us — a perfect pairing. . Naz in Karuizawa. What a meal it is, bringing all of Suzuki’s influences to bear: Italian, Nordic and, increasingly, homegrown Japanese. . The full story is up online here: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/02/11/food-drink/destination-restaurants-naz-karuizawa-nagano/ . #naz #nazkaruizawa #karuizawa #nagano #chefnatsukisuzuki #shinshusalmon #nordicinnagano #destinationrestauants #destinationrestaurants2023 #thejapantimes #japantimescube #ナッズ #軽井沢 #信州鮭 #燻製 #鈴木夏暉シェフ #デスティネーションレストラン #ジャパンタイムズ #ジャパンタイムズキューブ