This Japanese fish dish is notorious the world over

The dish: Fugu, Japan

Fugu is typically sliced paper-thin and served as sashimi, though it can also be served in nabe (hot pot).Credit: iStock

Plate up

Is there an ingredient with a more dangerous reputation than fugu? Surely not. The noxious Japanese puffer fish is notorious the world over, so much so that it even made it to an episode of The Simpsons. Fugu, of course, is poisonous. Deadly. The liver, ovaries, eyes and skin of the Tetraodontidae family of fish contain lethal amounts of tetradotoxin, a neurotoxin with no known antidote. Sounds delicious, right? And yet this fish is still highly sought-after in Japan – where you will find it bobbing in tanks outside specialty restaurants – and to a lesser extent in Korea and China. Fugu is typically sliced paper-thin and served as sashimi, though it can also be served in nabe (hot pot), or deep-fried, and its soft roe is often grilled over coals and garnished simply with salt.

First serve

Fugu is no modern fad. There’s evidence of the fish being consumed in Japan as far back as 2300 years ago. Though eating fugu was banned during the Tokugawa shogunate (18th century), and again during the Meiji era in the 19th century, it’s very much allowed now – chefs are only restricted from using the toxic parts of the animal, including the once-popular liver. To serve fugu in their restaurant, Japanese chefs must be licensed, which involves a two- or three-year apprenticeship, and a theoretical and practical exam.

Order there

Make a booking at fugu omakase restaurant Tokuyama in the Nishi Azabu district of Tokyo, and experience the fish in all of its various cuts and preparations, at the hands of a master (tableall.com).

Order here

Fugu is generally not served in restaurants in Australia, though Melbourne’s Minamishima has had fugu sashimi on its menu. Keen chefs can get their hands on frozen fillets of puffer fish online from Japanese grocer JFC (syd.jfconline.com.au).

One more thing

You really don’t want to be poisoned by fugu. The fish’s toxin paralyses the victim’s muscles, causing them to asphyxiate while still otherwise conscious. Though, interesting fact: that deadly toxin isn’t actually produced by the fish. The tetradotoxin in fugu is the result of eating other animals that carry a tetradotoxin-laden bacteria, which then further develops in the puffer fish. For this reason, poison-free fugu can now be produced in fish farms.