P
Japanese · Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku
Ehime Matsuyama Oshi Zushi Pressed Sushi Regional
Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island has a distinctive sushi tradition centered on oshi-zushi (pressed sushi) and the use of local ingredients from the Seto Inland Sea and Pacific Ocean sides. Tai-meshi (sea bream rice) is Ehime's signature dish — whole sea bream cooked on top of seasoned rice in a clay pot, the fish flavoring the rice as they cook together. Jakoten (じゃこ天) is Ehime's distinctive small fish paste cake — made from small fish ground into paste and deep-fried — an everyday protein eaten as snack, in udon, or with sake. Uwajima taimeshi (南予たいめし) is a different preparation: sashimi sea bream served on rice with raw egg-dashi sauce.
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I
The Market List
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Matsuyama tai-meshi
1 (about 800 g–1 kg)
Whole madai (red sea bream)
head on, gutted and scaled — head retained for maximum flavor release
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
360 g
Japanese short-grain rice
washed and drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
480 ml
Water
for clay pot cooking
Your own market
30 ml
Light soy sauce
30 ml
Mirin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5 g
Salt
Your own market
Uwajima tai-meshi (southern style)
200 g
Madai fillet
sashimi-grade, sliced thin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
Egg yolks
very fresh
Your own market
60 ml
Dashi
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15 ml
Light soy sauce
15 ml
Mirin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Jakoten
400 g
Small white fish (himeno tai, tokobushi, or equivalent small Seto Inland Sea fish)
ground to smooth paste with salt
Your own market
5 g
Salt
worked into fish paste
Your own market
500 ml
Neutral frying oil
for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
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II
The Method
1
Matsuyama tai-meshi — wash rice until water runs clear, drain for 30 minutes. Place in a clay pot (donabe) with measured water, light soy sauce, and mirin. Lay the whole sea bream — head included — directly on top of the raw rice. Cover and bring to a high heat, then reduce immediately to low. Cook until steam escapes steadily and a faint crust scent rises from the base of the pot.
From the canon — The donabe (clay/earthenware pot) is one of Japan's most ancient and most currently celebrated cooking vessels — experiencing a significant renaissance drive… Donabe — Clay Pot Cooking Traditions →
2
This is where the Matsuyama tai-meshi lives or dies: the fish must cook in direct contact with the rice throughout, never removed early — the head releases gelatin and fat into every grain. When the pot exhales a deep, sweet fish-and-rice fragrance and the rice has absorbed all liquid, remove from heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the fish, separate flesh from bone, discard bones and skin, and fold the flesh — including any meat from the head — back through the rice.
3
Uwajima tai-meshi — combine egg yolks, dashi, light soy sauce, and mirin in a small pouring vessel. Arrange sashimi-sliced madai over individual bowls of hot plain rice at the table. Pour the raw egg-dashi sauce over the fish and rice at the moment of serving; the guest stirs immediately to coat every grain while the rice is warm. The sauce must be stirred in without delay — delay produces an uneven, separated coating.
4
Jakoten — grind small fish to a smooth, cohesive paste with salt. Form into flat oval cakes of approximately 80 g each. Deep-fry in oil at 170–180 °C until the exterior is golden-brown and firm and the cakes float freely at the surface. Drain. The interior should be resilient to the touch, not soft.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Wild Seto Inland Sea madai caught February through April at peak spawning season — the fish is at its sweetest and most gelatinous, and its flavor fully saturates the rice.
02
Estate — Certified Ehime-farmed madai from Seto Inland Sea aquaculture, raised in the mild, calm waters that produce the region's characteristically clean, mild fish flavor.
03
Market — Fresh whole red sea bream (madai) of reliable provenance from a quality fishmonger, head on and properly gutted, outside the peak season.
04
House — Any fresh whole white sea bream available locally; flavor integration will be adequate but the defining sweetness of Seto Inland Sea madai will be absent.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. A deep, unified fragrance of fish and seasoned rice — no raw or watery note — signals the clay pot is ready to come off heat.
◇Sight. Uwajima egg-dashi sauce, stirred immediately, turns opaque and coats the rice and sashimi uniformly; an unstirred sauce separates visibly into yellow pools.
◇Touch. A jakoten cake pressed lightly between two fingers resists and springs back — softness means the interior is undercooked.
◇Sight. Jakoten floats freely at the surface of the frying oil and is uniformly golden-brown — the point at which it is ready to drain.
◇Where it lives or dies. The whole sea bream, head on, must cook in continuous contact with the raw rice inside the sealed clay pot — remove the fish early or use fillets alone and the gelatin, fat, and sweetness that define Matsuyama tai-meshi never enter the grain.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sake
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
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Sourced through Provenance