Last Friday my blogger friend Sissi shared the recipe of Aji-no-hiraki (Japanese Salted and Grilled Horse Mackerel) on her site With A Glass. She calls it “Scary-Looking Delicacy” and when I went to see the photo on her site, I burst into laughs while most of you probably feel horrific at the sight of this least photogenic dish (in her words).
I laughed because I actually held one post in draft that I was reluctant to post for months, and that is today’s recipe. Living in the US for 15 years now, I barely see fish with head being served at a restaurant and I thought this photo might possibly cause you to lose your appetite. Sissi however provided enough courage for me to post this recipe, and I even think my picture is less scary than hers…. is it? 
The fish is called Shishamo (Japanese smelt) and it’s one of Japan’s delicacies and popular appetizer. Usually it’s grilled or fried whole and served with its roe intact (komochi shishamo) in Izakaya or more traditional restaurants. We can buy Shishamo frozen at Japanese market here in the US. While growing up I didn’t like Shishamo that much at all. My mom told me I had to eat at least one fish because they are good source for calcium. Now I’m a mother of two and it’s ironic I’m trying to feed Shishamo to my kids. But guess what, my kids looooove Shishamo and they each eat 4 whole fish, and they even eat it from its head! While researching Shishamo for this post, I came across this blog and there are places in Japan that serves fresh Shishamo sushi when they are in season. My husband is already putting this on his to-do list if we visit Japan during the right time.
I know today’s recipe is not for everyone because you can’t get Shishamo. But if you live close to a Japanese supermarket and find these scary looking delicacies, please give it a try!
Ingredients:
- 8 Shishamo (the package that I have today has 8 Shishamo)
- 4 egg roll wrappers, cut in half
- 8 Shiso leaves (I made 4 shishamo wraps with shiso and 4 without shiso)
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 tsp water
- Oil for deep frying
- Lemon
- Matcha Salt (green tea powder and salt) – optional
- Shichimi (Japanese seven flavor chili pepper) – optional
Instructions:
- Quickly rinse Shishamo under running water and pat dried.
- Cut Egg Roll Wrapper in half.
- Place shiso and the Shishamo on the egg roll wrapper as you see below. Roll it up from the bottom and seal the edge with the mixture of flour and water.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat ¼ inch of oil on medium high heat.
- When it’s hot (check with a chopstick), place the wraps in the pan and deep fry until golden brown.
- Serve immediately and squeeze lemon before you eat. Today I serve with Matcha Salt and Shichimi.
Enjoy!
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }
I love grilled shishamo although I’ve never seen them wrapped like this! Pretty cute though!
Nooooo, Nami, this is not scary at all!
In Italy every fish is served with its head still attached to its body, so we are used to it!
And we have an appetizer (or street food) made of little fishes deep fried: we call these fishes gianchetti or bianchetti, they’re very tiny and you have to eat all the fish in a bite! Sometimes they are sold in a paper cone in the streets.. they are sooo good!
I’d have no problem at all to try those Japanese -not so ugly- delicacies
Wow, definitely not for me, but I fear my husband may want to try this LOL.
Fab photos
Wow! I don’t eat fish, but I like the idea (and photos). I got some shiso seeds, I will try to plant them
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Ciao
Alessandra
So Shishamo is all well-dressed!! Hey, Nami, this picture looks so authentic and well-thought…the recipe and the photographs both look tempting!! Can I replace the leaf with anything closely resembling the taste? Do you know the Chinese name for this, Nami? Looks pretty interesting for a hardcore fish-eater like me!
Shiso leaf is called Perilla, and it’s also commonly used in Korea. I’m not sure what’s the good replacement as it has unique taste to it. We write in Chinese character 紫蘇. Hope you can find it in a market.
i have nothing against whole fishes! i grew up seeing my mum steam whole fishes, and i also love anchovies, heads and all! i’ve never seen ths fish before though, and would love to try it one day!
Thats something I never tried before, totally unique type of spring roll (if its considered as one), very interesting, wanna try this one out. And as usual your photo composition rocks!
Nami, these wraps look sooooo cute and delicious! I would just grab one or two from your lovely photos! When you told me you had something scary to post, I was really waiting for something not very nice-looking, but who might be scared of a fried fish wearing such a cute suit? I can believe you children love it. When I was small I loved small fried fish… and I often had smelts, but not Japanese smelts.
You are very creative in this recipe: using the non-Japanese wraps and shiso… I want to make it one day too! (although might do this with some other fish alas).
Even though in Europe people don’t eat fish heads, fish is very often served with its head on in restaurants, especially in the regions where it’s very fresh and grilled (South of France for example). When I was in Italy for the first time in my life I had the tiny fish Giulia talks about. It was sold in a paper bag, like takeaway French fries and was absolutely delicious. My fishmonger sells this tiny fish very often, so I sometimes deep-fry it, just dusted with seasoned flour. It’s a pure delight!
Looks great. never seen fish wrapped up like this, This is a must try. I’ll get back to you on how it went.
Thanks and looking forward to it!
I have not seen these wrapped before but had tasted and loveee shishamo!!! This looks pretty awesome I think.. very appealing.
I’m not the fish eater in the family but those that eat it would adore this!
i have no problem at all to see the fish head, we even cook the fish head curry, very yummy in fact, hehehe…That one i usually eat in the Japanese restaurant here is just deep fried but never see them wrap in wrappers, this must be very crispy and good !
hahha – glad you found the courage to post this
def not scary to me as i LOVE shishamo growing up, one of my favourite fish! 
i like how you added a nice twist to it with shiso leaves…very creative!
That’s so cool!! I would love to try one. Never in all my life have I been scared of seafood, why would I start now! thanks for sharing Nami!
I would definitely give this a try! Great recipe and GORGEOUS photo! Love the step by step photo process too, makes it much less intimidating to try. Thanks so much for sharing Nami! Love your site, to prove it I have a blog award waiting for you! =] http://www.freespiriteater.com/2011/08/blog-awards-winners-and-awful-band.html
Nami these are the cutest and craziest, most innovative appetizers, I’ve seen in a long time. Love the crunchiness of the wrapped shishamo!…don’t even mind the little fish heads peeking through the wrapper:DDD
Hugs,
I have not eaten fish head before but my husband loves it so this sure will be a hit with him.
The dish looks wonderful Nami, really cute and crunchy. I am learning so many new and delicious recipes from you.
LOL yours definitely look less scary — must be their “blankets” ;p. I’d actually love to try these — I do so love fish!
Is it scary for me?
No! it’s tempting me! Haha ha!
In Indonesia many of the dish served with the “head part” & delicious at the same time – LOL
& yes I do as u do, don’t like it before when I was at young age but now makes my kids eat it! & now I love it & so they do
Tq for sharing the recipe with us!
Love the recipe & photo!
These look very unique. I love deep fried small fish, with or without head but never seen the fish wrapped in pastry before deep frying. Its sort of like battered deep fried fish but the egg roll wrappers would be much more crunchier, easier to prepare and nice to look at.
LOL I love this post and recipe
We really love fish in our family and nothing scares us when it comes to fish Hahahaha 
But my mackerel was a hit head and all ROFL 
Same as you I don’t post many fish with heads recipes LOL even though we make them whole
Delicious, I haven’t had in a while.. Now I’m craving them now..
These are gorgeous little wraps! And how great that your children love them too. As a kid, these probably would have freaked me out! lol
Nami, I have you say Sissi’s fish looks a bit more scary, though I am sure both are very tasty! This recipe looks interesting, because I am fond of little rolls (most Vietnamese) for appetizer, though never had one with fish inside…
Nami such a wonderful and simple recipe. And don’t worry I am used to seeing head on the fish.
I have never seen anything like this before Nami – what a fun idea!
Mandy
Have a happy week.
I love love love wraps… this one sounds GREAT!
I love these but i haven’t seen it all wrapped up before.. Is this how it’s usually served in Japan?
The most typical way to eat Shishamo is grilling, and we eat from head to tail… =) This one is wrapped up, so it’s kind of nicer presentation. But either way, it’s very delicious!
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! THIS!!! MY FAV!
Actually it’s only this year then I found shishamo selling at the supermarket I always go to! lol
Both my girls LOVE this immediately when they first tried it and keep asking me to buy again! They can eat at least 6 of it at one go! :O
Trinke only loves the fish roe inside and leave all the heads, skins and tails for poor mommy.
I don’t think it’s scary to cause me to lose appetite bcoz I LOVE FISH HEADS! lol
I just fried shishamo every time and this recipe of yours, I’M GONNA TRY!! Looks so tasty and I’m craving for it now!
Ohhh I really want to give these a try! I hope I can find them in NY!
Great post nami!! I’m glad you posted it! This is like a gourmet variation of the salty fish my grandmother loves! So Japanese! Even if it’s not for everyone its perfect to add to your collectiOn of authentic Japanese dishes.
I can see why you would consider this creepy. Maybe it’s the sarcophagus idea?
Maybe is the expression on the fish’s face? Creepy is not the same as gross though, these are really appetizing, I won’t hesitate to try them.
This looks like such an interesting dish!
Filipinos love serving fish with the head. For us, it is actually the best part of the fish…so this isn’t scary for me at all! That shishamo wrap of yours look so appetizing to me!
I went to Sissi’s site and your dish indeed is less scary then hers. Well I don’t think scary is the right word…yours look more appealing. Thank you for sharing this fun recipe. It reminds me of this trick with a person in a box with their head and toes sticking out.
I have never wrapped fish in egg roll wrappers before, but I did eat fish in rice wrapper. I suddenly remember how great steamed fish in rice paper is!
I would be so intimidated by these! You make them look great though.
I am one of those people who likes to eat fish with tail and head on them. In fact that’s how we have grown up eating this
But now, i don’t any more.. A will never eat a fish with head and tail or even skin on it.
This looks quite fancy and glad you shared it. I am getting some ideas out of this you know
This is such a cool recipe Nami.Whole fish wrapped in a wrapper and deep fried. In india we each a LOT of fried fish especially during winters.I think the wrapper will make it more crisp. Loved how you styled the plates- looks something served in gourmet restaurants!
Have a lovely weekend!
Sorry I m weird..I meant week..had too much coffee in the morning I guess
Nami, this is so unique and rare to see..I had a chance growing up to eat a lot of fish, of course it was always served with a head, but this is totally new to me..looks wonderful and convenient, just grab and go!:))
Thank you for sharing and have a beautiful Monday evening!
Nami, my first thought, even before I read your text, was that you can even make a wrapped skinny fish look beautiful! I can only imagine the glares from my family if I tried to serve this to them, but I’d really love to sample your dish
Now I have a craving for Shishamo…… but I know that none of my boys want to see me eating it ; )
I wouldn’t have any problem at all eating this fish especially fried like what you did. Frying it would make the entire fish crunchy, no? If that’s the case, my plate will be clean because I would eat this fish from head to tail.
This is a good post, Nami!
Even though I probably would like the taste of this, I have to admit the head would scare me. I always have to trick myself to eat the small little fish, the big one like this might just be too much for me! LOL
What an interesting recipe! Looks beautiful!
I’m so glad you posted this! It’s LOVELY, not scary at all, and I want to eat them before your kids get them all.
Before I read your post I thought to myself, “Damn, there’s a head on that fish. A head and a tail. She’s getting ballsy.” Guess I was right. Way to go!
I’m allergic to seafood, but I love it. This isn’t scary to me…it’ looks AMAZING! I would LOVE to be able to have some…
I had shishamo a couple of times in Japanese restaurants in Korea. They were roasted over open fire probably, and I loved them. This deep-fried version looks even better.
Horrified? I think they’re beautiful! The rolls are perfectly fried and you can see the shiso under the wrappers. I don’t eat fish heads, but growing up in a Chinese family I’m used to seeing them.
How cute! My kids would love to eat these too, as they are perfect finger food and they look like fish in a blanket. Never had them, but I bet they are crispy tasty!
If the head is crispy and the middle is bone is not that ‘hard’… I’ll definitely leave no traces of your ‘scary’ looking fish in my plate ;P.
I’ll munch them from head to tail hehehe…
I have not seen any Shishamo not any shiso leaves …*sigh*
The bone in this fish is so tiny that you don’t even feel you are eating bone! That’s why it has good calcium I think…
I think my dad ordered this (but without the wrappers and shiso leaves) for appetiser when we were eating out in a Japanese restaurant and complained that they looked much smaller than in the picture
. I am not so fond of fish and usually only like it when they don’t really look like fish anymore…;). But these shisamo wraps of yours don’t look scary at all, I think they even look quite elegant and pretty. Great food styling, Nami 
)!
Lovely delicate dish, Nami. I love how the leaves can be seen through the pastry.
These look amazing but I wouldn’t be brave enough to make them! I’ve never tried fish with heads and tails still on but will try them if I see them somewhere. Thanks for sharing. Jenny.
I love how these are wrapped up, looks lovely! I love your photographs too Nami!
I haven’t tried Shishamo for years! Not since I lived in Japan really!
These look fantastic!
Great photo, and I really like the layout of your site. Thanks for stopping by mine.
My mom would always make sauteed smelt growing up – it was one of my favorites! I’ve never seen it presented this way, but I’m definitely willing to give it a try because it looks tasty!
I grew up with whole fish being served at the table. It definitely is not the norm here and because of that I am reluctant to post whole fish dishes. This one all wrapped up is okay. My hubby enjoys shishamo very much.
I am so glad you finally decided to post this, Nami! These are actually extremely cute looking (at least to me)! I used to be terrified by fish heads, but now that I cook so much, I know that I shouldn’t stop myself from trying any type of dish!
Luckily, I have 2 Japanese markets nearby. I’ll make sure I look out for these shishamo next time!
Happy to hear you liked the post Jessica! When you go to Japanese market, check fish section as well as frozen food section. Sometimes Shishamo is in frozen section too. Enjoy!
While I don’t think this is a scary picture, it is unusual. I’ve never been served fish with it’s head still attached. I have a question though. Do you eat the head? Or is that like the bones and you would leave it on your plate? I’m totally curious and I’d love to know!
The photo really is great. I would be willing to try one of these.
I saw your reply on my email, but I don’t see it here. I would totally eat these with you. I can’t imagine making them myself, but I am impressed that you did (and do).
Nami, I have to admit, I really don’t like fish like this ;o) I love the fact that your kids enjoy this dish. Maybe I need to try more fish like this
)
I’m not sure if I have enough courage to try the entire fish, including the head. I’m sad to admit that but maybe/hopefully that will change! I wish I was more adventurous with the food I try/eat so who knows. You managed to make the fish heads look good to me in these photos!
Nami, this little treats look delicious, love the simplicity…yet so tasty. Great way to use the shiso that I have.
Hope you are having a fantastic week…and thanks for this lovely recipe
In our family, the head of a fish is considered a ‘delicacy’ and it is an honor if someone makes it for dinner! But hey… we also eat fish eye soup!
These wraps look great Nami! 
Nami, it isn’t look scary but cute. Over here we serve fish with all the head intact, in fact fish head curry cook in clay pot is so popular over here. Your “blanket” wrap on the fish looks very much like they are in the spa center.
Oh my goodness Nami, I thought these were little plastic fish heads and tails when I first saw it. Like those corn holders. Then I realized it was real. I have trouble with the head on when I eat or order it but I’m just a big baby with that stuff. I know tons of people who eat fish this way. I bet it was good. I love fish and am just now after 17 years of trying, getting mini-me to eat it. Having much fun with it. Great post. Expected to get scared but I actually guffawed. Lol!
Prepared by you, I would gladly give it a go. Lovely presentation.
Bravo!
I can see how it a “scary” looking dish
. I have seen a dish like this before….:)
Nami its so funny you talk about the head because I just have this thing about eating food with a head still on looking at me!! Last time I ate a whole grilled fish with fellow blogger Katherine Martinelli, she actually put a little lemon “hat” over the fish head for me!! However, head or no head your wraps are absolutely beautiful. I would just have Katherine cover the head for me before I ate them haha
I’m glad that you did not hide the fish heads, Nami. I chuckled when I read your post! Mark used to tell me the same thing since food presentation in the US is rather different than us in Asia:) I’ve worked hard to convince him that showing the real authentic source of our food is important. It feels good not to shy away from showing the food if it is meant to be enjoyed in its whole form, true?
This is such a Japanese delicacy! Love it!
I had to look twice at the picture to wrap my head around it. I looked, thinking it was nice, read your post and looked again – duh! How did I miss that? I don’t think it’s horribly scary but I would have a hard time mustering up the courage to try it myself in public. I am very happy you posted it though and I think your pictures are a beautiful representation.
Oh my goodness, this is the cutest shishamo dish I’ve ever seen, all wrapped up in their phyllo blankets! Definitely not scary and I know my kids will love eating something like this. We love dried and salted fish and often chomp on the heads and tails as well! Nami, you should’ve gone ahead and posted this ages ago
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I’m gald to have found this very unique and interesting blog! Love the pics and the recipes.
Thanks for sharing…
This is not scary at all for me
They look beautifully crunchy! I loooove shishasmo! I often oven-grill them and coat them with super hot sambal. I just can`t understand why Seiyu near my house only provides “pregnant” shishamo imported from Norway. But they are cheap, though, 200 yen for 20 shishamo.
Wow, this looks incredibly beautiful!
This looks sooo good! Call me crazy but I like whole fish much better than filets and I love going after the meat in the fish head (not the eye ball though, I am still not brave enough for that). This looks like a must buy on my next trip to the Asian store!
Hi!
I have never seen Shishamo wrap in Tokyo. Is this your creation?
It looks delicious. The picture makes me hungry.
Will give a try someday, thanks for sharing.
Hi Tataya! A lot of housewives in Japan wrap other ingredients with egg roll wrappers… so to me it’s quite normal dish so I was surprised to see this dish got a lot of attention. You can wrap shrimp etc… I always slip in shiso because it’s my favorite.
Thanks for your kind comment!
This is really a great idea. Will try with my boys since they luv to eat fish
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