Diana Farah

DUBAI: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducted a Tokyo Island Fish tasting event in Dubai, inviting people to try out several seafood delicacies, straight from Japan’s sea.

Hosted at Dubai’s authentic Japanese restaurant TOMO, the event showcased several fish from Japan including: Kinmedai (Splendid Alfonsino), Akahata (Blacktip Grouper), Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna), Kanpachi (Greater Amberjack), Aodai *Blue fusilier), Medai (Japanese butterfish), Kihada Maguro (Yellowfin tuna) and Hamadai (Ruby Snapper.)

The fish were cut up and served to guests in several forms like sushi, sashimi and filets, prepared by Chef Takahashi Chitoshi and his team.

Chef Takahashi, former owner of TOMO, served Japanese cuisine in the Gulf countries for over 36 years and served various Prime Ministers and VIPS from around the world.

Director of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Division at Japan’s Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs Daichi Fujii, Executive General Manager of the Tokyo Federation of Fisheries Co-Operative Associations Sadaharu Yamaguchi and Japan’s Consul-General in Dubai SEKIGUCHI Noboru attended the event.

The event, supported by JETRO, featured a presentation about the fishery industry in Japan, describing precisely where some fish came from, and afterwards a presentation about the fish dishes served.

Some of the dishes included clear soup, Aodai filet, fried Midai, Hamadai sushi and Kinmedai sushi.

The UAE and Japan is celebrating their 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year and many cultural events were planned in honor of the occasion. This tasting event was part of the series of events planned for the anniversary.