Sake to Sakana: an Autumn Samna Celebration

The cool, crisp excitement of Fall in New York is fleeting; in all but the blink of an eye, the days go from being long and hazy to dark and frigid. For this reason, we New Yorkers should enjoy our Autumn days and appreciate each one as a true gift from Mother Nature. I can't think of any better way to pay homage than an outdoor barbecue with great friends.
Our charcoal fueled soiree took place a couple of weeks ago, way up north in Inwood Hill Park. With the Hudson River and a view of the Palisades serving as our backdrop, we sparked up the grill for a full on seafood fest. I took the liberty of dubbing it "Sake to Sakana", which translates literally to wine and fish. The star of the show was the sanma, a fish which peaks in Autumn and has a taste similar to mackerel. In English, is known as pacific saury. There was also shishamo, with bellies full of mentaiko (fish eggs). While eating a pregnant fish may seem a bit barbaric, you'll totally get over it when you taste it and realize you can't get caviar any fresher. At least, not for the same price.

The big guy is sanma; the little ones are shishamo

We muched on potato patties and sucked meat from giant crab claws and slurped clams from their shells;
somewhere in the midst of it all, we enjoyed some grilled onigri (rice balls) brushed with an ume (plum)

 sauce. 

As the sun began to descend, its golden rays inviting us to linger just a few minutes longer to digest, I was pleasantly overcome by a feeling of fullness; not just from the food, but from the fresh air which filled my lungs and the love of the people with whom I'd shared afternoon.