The owner of the Japanese fishing company Yamajin placed a young scallop in the palm of his hand one day and addressed the shellfish: “You will reach people all over the world and they will praise you for your glory.” And so it happened. Hokkai Suisan is proud to spread this ancient delicacy in Europe and honoured to share the story behind Yamajin’s Hotate-fry.

The origin

Yamajin is a fishing company based in Aomori, Japan. Here, in the cold seawater of Mutsu Bay, the fishermen catch young scallops. These small shells are cultivated in nets until they reach their mature size: between seven and ten centimetres in. Due to the forested environment of Mutsu Bay, the water is full of nutrients, which are absorbed by the molluscs. This distinguishes the flesh of the scallops from this region from that in Europe or America.

After a year, the fish in the shell have softened and the scallops are brought to the surface. They are brought ashore, where they are immediately washed and steamed with sterile seawater in the Yamajin factory. This is done specifically with salt seawater instead of fresh water to ensure the best taste.

Freshness and quality

Mr Matsumoto is responsible for exporting Yamajin’s products and stresses the importance of proper handling. “We value freshness and quality and produce according to strict standards. It is our policy not to compromise on this. This is the only way we can produce the very best scallops.”

After harvesting, the soft round fish meat is removed from the shell, cleaned by hand and washed again. Then the delicacies are quickly frozen to retain their freshness and prevent them from sticking together. Then the molluscs are breaded so that they can be deep-fried into Hotate-fry, the product we distribute in Europe with Hokkai.

Proud to cooperate

Mr. Matsumoto calls the cooperation with Hokkai Suisan the pride of his company: “All our hundred employees are honoured that a company in Aomori, a small area in Japan, can do business with a well-known Dutch company. We are grateful that people in Europe can now also experience the authentic taste of our scallops. For this we are forever grateful to Mr. Noordenbos.”