Hirame – [Sushi | Foodlore]

Description

Hirame. (Left Facing Flounder, Olive Flounder/Bastard Halibut)  Hiragana: ひらめ. Katakana:ヒラメ.  Kanji:鮃. – Seasons: November – March.

• About this fish: Hirame are large olive-skinned flat fishes whose eyes are typically set to lean Left facing as they grow. – (For the opposite facing flounder, see also “Karei.”) – As a type of Nigiri: it has a subtly sweet meaty taste and firmer flesh than its counterpart, it is often served with a mint leaf (Shiso) underneath the fish; or on the side, for a pop of additional flavor.

An old Fairy Tale/Childrens story called ‘Why the jellyfish has no bones’ aka: ‘The Tale of the Monkeys Liver.’  often has it that Jellyfish (along side flounders) were once guards working at The Dragon Kings undersea palace “Ryugujo” It’s said that the king punished both the flounder (& jellyfish) for leaking important secrets which put his daughter in danger. He punished the two fish’s entire species by splitting all of the flounders in half & removing all of the jellyfishes bones! hence why flounders lays on their sides and why the jellyfish is forced to bob up and down with the waves ‘ever more!

A rather hopeful poem from the Edo period goes;

“Even if you lie low like a Hirame, you still have two eyes to the sky.”

To call someone a “Hirame-Person” is a bit like calling someone a ‘suck-up.’ as though they are facing upwards, begging their superiors.

for a bit more about the other facing flatfish, see also: “Karei.”

[Sticker art by @Samkalensky, Part of my nigiri sushi/foodlore collections.]