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1
Prepare a deep bowl of ice water large enough to submerge the fillet completely; keep it beside the heat source. Thread the bonito fillet lengthways onto two or three thick metal skewers, passing them through the flesh so the fillet is held rigid and can be rotated. The skewers should be secure — a fillet that moves during searing will char unevenly.
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2
Ignite a bed of rice straw (warayaki). When it reaches full combustion — an intense, briefly sustained blaze — hold the fillet skin-side toward the flame at close range. Rotate continuously. The entire searing pass takes 30 to 60 seconds. The skin and outer flesh must char visibly and immediately. The interior must remain raw. This is where the dish lives or dies: rice straw combustion temperature and chemistry produce a smoky-sweet char that charcoal or gas cannot replicate; if the heat is insufficient or the pass too slow, the interior cooks and the defining contrast between charred surface and raw centre is lost.
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3
Immediately plunge the seared fillet into the ice water. Hold it submerged until the outer flesh is cold to the touch — this arrests all residual cooking and sets the contrast between the charred exterior and the raw interior. Lift and pat dry.
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4
Slice the fillet thickly across the grain. Arrange the slices on a bed of ice on the serving plate.
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5
Cover the slices completely with the garnishes — myoga, shiso, young green onion, garlic chips, grated ginger, and julienned daikon — in abundance. The garnish is not decorative: it must form a substantial, aromatic cloud over the fish. A sparse garnish departs from the Kochi tradition.
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6
Combine the ponzu, soy sauce, and grated garlic. Pour the dressing generously over the garnished fish so that it floods the plate. It functions as both dressing and dipping medium. Serve immediately, encouraging the diner to mix the fish, herbs, and ponzu together at the table.