Kanazawa is known for its oden. Despite being a winter dish, oden is served in many Kanazawa restaurants all year around. Although oden is a hot pot cuisine usually filled with various kinds of fish paste, Kanazawa oden is famous for using unique local product such as fu, wheat gluten and bai-gai, Finely-striate buccinum. In winter, the limited availability of stuffed kobako-gani crab shells makes it very popular with tourists.
Sacchan’s Recommendations
(Stuffed Crab Shell)
Kanazawa oden’s staple ingredient is kani-men, stuffed crab shell. The meat, eggs and innards of female snow crab are mixed together and stuffed back in the shell. The time and effort it takes to make kani-men along with kobako-gani’s limited availability make it an especially luxurious dish.
(Finely-striate buccinum)
Bai-gai, Finely-striate buccinum, is formally know as ecchuu-bai. Commonly enjoyed as sashimi or sushi, it’s standard ingredient in Kanazawa oden. Its elastic texture and sweet flavor go very well in oden broth.
(Fish Ball of Minced Deep-sea Smelt)
Deep-sea smelt, called megisu in Ishikawa, are caught in Ishikawa throughout the year and the yield is one of the highest in Japan. The taste stays the same in any season, and it is good for any type of cooking. Recently, minced magisu fish ball has become a popular item in Kanazawa oden.
