The event “Shirakami no Odaishokudo”, which offers seasonal fish on the Tsugaru west coast, was held on June 27 at Hotel New Castle (Kamisashishi-cho, Hirosaki City). More than 160 participants gathered from both inside and outside the city to taste the fresh seafood.

The event is sponsored by the "Shirakami Fish Spreading Executive Committee". "Shirakami's fish" refers to fish caught in Fukaura and Ajigasawa towns, along the west coast of the Tsugaru Peninsula, and in river basins such as the Iwaki River. A large amount of mineral-containing water flows into the area from the beech forest in the Shirakami Mountains, a world natural heritage site, where plankton is generated and various seafood are abundantly grown. The purpose of the committee is to provide many of these seafood at restaurants in Hirosaki and promote consumption. This event will be held for the second time since September last year.

Especially, June is the time when most fish are landed on the west coast of Tsugaru, and seasoned fish that are rich in fat and fat are cooked in a variety of Japanese and Western styles. "I'm impressed that familiar fish have this much seasoning and cooking method," says Koji Koyamauchi, 53, who runs a bar in the city. "I want customers to taste Shirakami's fish at my shop. If I can serve the dishes that fishermen usually eat, such as grilling with salt and boiling," he said.

At the venue, there was a tuna dismantling show and a lottery for drawing gourmet food. On the same day, in the Nigirizushi corner, the owner of the city's sushi and small restaurant "Tasuke", who acted as sushi and scrolls, chief tax chief Ota (54) said, "We prepared flounder, Thai, squid, and tuna for 140 people. But it's gone 30 minutes from the start. "

“Many of the fish on the Tsugaru west coast once came to the market in Aomori City and were distributed to Hirosaki from there. If such events helped Shirakami's fish be directly communicated to Hirosaki, they would eventually come from outside the prefecture. It will be a tourist resource that can act with confidence for the visitors. ”