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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.