A whole fish rubbed with sea salt and grilled over embers until the skin crackles. Melting, iodized flesh, salty, smoky skin: absolute simplicity that lets the freshness of the sea speak.

Why this dish? Chinese chronicles describe Himiko's Wa people as skilled divers and fishermen, abundantly feeding on fish and shellfish from the warm seas. On the coasts of Kyushu, near Itoshima, fish grilled over fire was the natural companion to rice.

My fishermen dive naked into the waves, you know, and bring back fish that even the Wei court envies us. We rub them with salt drawn from the sea water, lay them on the embers, and wait for the skin to sing as it crackles. There is no need for artifice: what the sea gives, we respect as it is. Take it with your rice, and thank the spirits of the shore.

How it was made : The Wa people described in the Wei Zhi practiced freediving and ate fish and shellfish raw or grilled. Without soy (miso and soy sauce would appear much later), seasoning relied on sea salt obtained by evaporating seawater and on local plant condiments. Fish was cooked directly over fire or embers.

The contemporary twist : Plated on a dark slate with a fine line of sea salt and a burst of yuzu, in a contemporary izakaya style that reclaims its ancient roots.

Sources : Wei Zhi (Gishi Wajinden), Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 3rd century — dietary customs of the Wa people · Ishige, Naomichi — The History and Culture of Japanese Food (Routledge, 2001)

Himiko · Charactorium