Handle the sea bass!
Last night, the weather was surprisingly mild with a gentle breeze, so I grabbed my fishing rod and headed out for some fishing. I heard there were some nice mackerel out there, so I diligently cast my jig, but no luck. So, I decided to shift my focus to catching some sea bass instead.
Lo and behold, I reeled in a solid 70cm sea bass with ease. Catching it meant it would be the star of tonight’s dinner. In hindsight, I should have sharpened my knives to that ‘smooth and effortlessly slicing’ level.
This morning, using my 180mm Gin-san steel Deba and 180mm Kishubusshin Deba, I took on the challenge. I was able to prepare the fish nicely, but its flesh was quite soft, making it somewhat tricky to cut (＞＜). With Gin-san steel, it was hard to determine if it was sharp enough, probably due to its nearly straight edge. It felt like driving a manual car in second gear all the time!
Thankfully, the Kishubusshin Deba, with its carbon steel edge, provided me with some sharpness and made the task more manageable. Through this experiment, I learned a few valuable lessons:
- The smoother the edge, the more skill it requires to cut effectively.
- Deba knives might not require such fine finishing stones.
- Larger Deba knives can be more versatile, depending on the fish’s size.
After many rounds of slicing, my cutting technique improved, but I also ended up with a lot of fish to prepare. It’s going to be a sea bass feast tonight, and I’m looking forward to it!
I’ve decided to sharpen my knives to the edge that feels right for the moment, so I’m prepared for any future catches!
2007-02-12
hibishugyo
