Cookbook:Bonito Flakes

| Seafood | Fish | Japanese Cuisine

Dried bonito flakes, known as katsuo-bushi or katsuobushi in Japanese cuisine, are flakes of dried, smoked bonito fish.

Production
Lean bonito or skipkack tuna are caught—typically in the spring and summer—and the fillets removed. The flesh is briefly boiled in hot water before smoking to impart the first round of flavor. The smoked fish is then allowed to ferment and dry for several months until it has a complex flavor and a very dry and tough texture. This dry block of fish is then shaved into flakes with a very sharp blade.

Characteristics
Bonito flakes look very similar to wood shavings,  as they are light and delicate in texture. Due to the characteristics of the fish and the manner in which it is prepared, the flakes have a rich, savory, fishy taste.

Selection and storage
Katsuobushi can be sold as the solid piece, but the flakes are the most common form used by consumers. Because they are dried, they last well at room temperature if kept away from air and moisture.

Use
Bonito flakes are used to make katsuobushi-dashi, the second most favored type of dashi (Japanese broth) for miso soup.   Bonito flakes are also used for onigiri filling and okonomiyaki, as a topping/garnish and seasoning, and to make ponzu sauce.