Sushi Taro Osechi 2021 寿司太郎の御節 2021

We picked up our Sushi Taro Osechi box for 2021 on the last day of 2020. We opened it on the evening of January 1, 2021. I am doing this post just to remind us of all the wonderful items included in the box. Every year there are some changes although many "must-have" items remained the same. The SushiTaro osechi has been the highlight of our New Year celebrations since 2012. Before that I used to make osechi in a 3 layered juubako 重箱.  I had to spend almost the entire week before New Year cooking and the results were no comparison to the Sushi Taro box. In 2010 and 2011, (I apparently had excuses) I only made a few New Year items. On one other occasion, we tried frozen osechi from Kyoto, Japan. It was very expensive and just terrible. So, Sushitaro Osechi is indeed a God-send. Now I only make a few nostalgic items that I ate on New Year as a child. 

This picture is an overview of the upper layer of the Sushi Taro box.

 

The following pictures enumerate the contents of the box. Noteworthy is #1 smoked oyster in olive oil 牡蠣燻製. Large succulent oysters with smoky flavor are excellent and new this year. #2 is a sophisticated version of “daikon namasu” 錦なます. #3 is Kuro-mame  black beans in syrup 黒豆. #4 is grilled small "tai" red snapper 祝鯛姿焼き, #5 steamed sea urchin 蒸し雲丹.  #6 Kazunoko "herring" roe marinaded in miso 数の子味噌漬け.  #7 roasted A5 Wagyu (A5 is the top level wagyu) 和牛ローストビーフwhich is also new this year. Nicely marbled and tender.  #8 Cod roe rolled in kelp 鱈の子昆布巻.  I forgot to put the number but between the wagyu and the tail of snapper are chestnuts "shibukawa-ni" 栗渋皮煮, #9 is smoked salmon rolled in pickled radish スモークサーモン砧巻. #10 is our favorite "karasumi" botarga or sun-dried mullet roe 唐墨.  #11 is small ice fish simmered with sansho pepper 雑魚の有馬煮 (in plastic container) and #12 lily bulb dumpling 百合根まんじゅう which is new this year. Under #5 is red and white "kamaboko" fishcake 紅白蒲鉾,  under the roast beef is soy-marinated egg yolk with walnuts and truffle flavor which is also our favorite 黄身胡桃.  Somewhere under the tai fish is "gobo" burdock root with sesame dressing 叩き牛蒡. One more good dish wrapped in cellophane is hidden under the fish which is “Koji pickled Boston mackerel” 鯖麹漬. This may be also new this year. This reminded me of a Hokkaido dish called “iizushi” 飯寿司 which was made during cold winter fermented using koji/rice, dried herring, and vegetables. This version is using mackerel with crunchy daikon or kabu radish. We both really like it. 

And this is lower box.

#1 is Monkfish liver terrine 鮟肝豆腐, again our favorite, #2 pickled flower-shaped "renkon" lotus root 花輪蓮根、#3 is red and white shrimp dumpling 海老真蒸, #4 cured Spanish mackerel 鰆喜寿し, this is new and great, it is cured (with salt and vinegar, I suppose) but almost taste-like sashimi, no fishy taste and absolutely fantastic. #5 glazed duck 鴨照り煮, #6 caramelized crispy small shrimp 小海老甘露煮, #7 sake-steamed prawn 長寿海老, #8 Yellowtail sushi wrapped with pickled turnip 鰤かぶら寿し, #9 New Year's stewed vegetables (satoimo, carrot, bamboo shoot, shiitake, hana-fu,  snow peas, and "konnyaku", all individually delicately seasoned and cut into decorative shapes), #10 simmered "ayu" sweet fish with roe 子持ちあゆ甘露煮, #11 "Date-maki" New year's omelet 伊達巻 and #12 Burdock root, squid ink coated and stuffed with mustard からし牛蒡. Hiding underneath #1 and #2 is "kurikinton" mushed sweet potato with chestnuts 栗きんとん and underneath #5 is grilled yellowtail marinated in sake lee 鰤酒粕焼き.

　

Everything was carefully prepared and packed. All possible superlative adjectives can not begin to describe how wonderful each dish was.  I do not know how many orders they prepare but I got some glimpse of how much work this is from Chef Kitayama's instagram "chefmasayakitayama" and "togimax". Our only task now is to enjoy all these delicacies, something we are very good at.