Chefs Train for Years to Serve This Rare Poisonous Fish

Fugu, or pufferfish, is a seasonal winter delicacy in Japanese cuisine.

It is prized for its unique taste and rarity.

However, wild fugu contains the deadly poison tetrodotoxin.

A fatal dose of tetrodotoxin is just 2mg. It is 850 times more poisonous than cyanide.

Therefore, chefs train for up to 4 years to obtain a license to handle fugu.

Chef was head chef of one of Japan’s finest fugu restaurant for 36 years.

Now he has opened his own small restaurant.

At Fuku Hotta, Chef serves only the highest quality wild tiger puffer (torafugu).

It is the most delicious and expensive variety, but also one of the most poisonous.

The chef separates the poisonous eyes and guts.

The organs contain a high concentration of the deadly tetrodotoxin poison.

“Today we have a male

so we have milt (sperm sac).”

“This is edible.”

“These organs are all poison.”

“This is liver.”

“Intestine.”

A thin poisonous membrane is attached to the skin.

After removing the membrane, the edible skin is separated into layers.

The poisonous organs are stored in a locked refrigerator.

Since the waste is so dangerous, it must be processed at a detox facility at Toyosu Fish Market.

According to Chef, even rats will never eat poisonous fugu innards, if they are left around.

Now that the poisonous parts are removed, Chef sanitizes his tools and work area.

Initially anxious, Chef gained confidence through years of training.

Chef moves to a different part of the kitchen to work on the edible parts.

He begins to portion the fish for cooking.

He uses a thinner knife for this delicate butchery.

He removes the fillets from the spine.

Chef carefully removes the thin, tough membrane that encases the fugu meat.

The membrane can be eaten when boiled, but since there are only two pieces per fugu body, it cannot be put on the menu.

It is only served to customers in special cases.

“Since it’s just been butchered, the meat is still very tender.”

“It will firm up after letting it sit in the fridge for a day.”

Separate tools are used for edible parts.

The hard fugu bones are cut with a heavy deba knife (broad-bladed knife).

Freshly cut fish must age for at least three days before serving.

If it is not left to rest, the meat will be tough and tasteless.

Dry-aging concentrates amino acids in the fish, making the sashimi more delicious – just like beef.

Fuku Hotta can only accommodate around 15-20 guests each day.

Rare wild fugu is an expensive meal, often eaten on special occasions.

The cost reflects the rarity of wild fugu and the complexity of handling a poisonous ingredient.

The first course will be fugu skin.

Delicate inner skin is boiled quickly and cut into strips.

It is served with vinegared miso sauce and yuzu juice.

The garnish is a mild-tasting chive grown around Fukuoka in Kyushu.

Next course: fugu sashimi.

The sashimi is cut with a “honyaki” knife, which is more flexible than regular knives (similar to Japanese swords).

Fugu is sliced thinner than regular sashimi.

Fugu chefs are always careful about the thickness of fugu sashimi.

If it’s too thin you can’t taste it.

If it’s too thick, you can’t bite through it.

He arranges the slices in the shape of a chrysanthemum blossom.

The tips are turned up like flower petals.

Fugu sashimi is served on a patterned plate to demonstrate the thinness of the slices.

Now Chef serves the fugu jelly.

The outer layer of fugu skin has been boiled to gelatinize its collagen.

The cooled liquid solidifies into a perfectly clear jelly.

Other restaurants use gelatin to make this dish, but Chef only uses the natural fugu skin.

The texture of the high-quality jelly is smooth and melts in your mouth.

The jelly has a delicate aroma of fugu, soy sauce, and umami.

Sashimi is served with ponzu dipping sauce.

Chef Hotta’s ponzu sauce is made of special daidai (bitter oranges) harvested only once a year.

All good fugu restaurants have their own secret ponzu recipe.

Appetizers are done.

Now Chef prepares the fried fugu.

He dredges the fish in potato starch.

The face, jaw, body, and tail are good for frying.

Chef believes it is best to fry the fish with its bones.

The bones release fugu flavor when heated.

Red capsicum and shishito peppers look colorful and have a mild flavor.

The only seasoning is salt, but Chef Hotta uses a unique blend.

Another secret recipe.

Salt and ponzu are the most important seasonings for fugu chefs.

Fried fugu is a relatively modern addition to the traditional fugu menu.

It only became popular around 30 years ago.

Fugu is prized as much for its distinctive texture as for its flavor.

Its texture is something between meat and fish.

Now Chef prepares the hot pot ingredients.

Along with sashimi, this is the classic way to enjoy fugu.

All parts of the fugu are used in hotpot:

mouth, cheeks, chin, and the meat around the eyes and body.

The hot pot broth is water flavored with kombu (seaweed).

Chef’s hotpot uses large pieces of fugu, so you boil it for about 5 minutes.

There is also green onion, enoki mushroom, cabbage, and tofu.

Chrysanthemum has a strong flavor, but Chef thinks it’s a delicious accent.

The bones of the fugu impart their delicious flavor to the broth.

Fugu is a delicacy, so every part of the fish is used.

The dried, grilled fish fins are flamed to release their flavor into the sake.

Final dish: fugu porridge.

Chef prepares the vegetable accompaniment.

The leftover hot pot broth will be used to make rice porridge.

Not a drop of fugu flavor will be wasted.

Rice is mixed into the leftover broth to create a rich soup.

Egg is added and cooked until just set.

The porridge is delicately flavored with chives.

The meal is coming to an end.

It’s time for Chef to end his day.

During the fugu season, he is here until 2 or 3 in the morning.

It’s not too late tonight.