Tsukiji Fish Market Street Food
We ranked everything we ate in the outer markets of Tsukiji. While the indoor fishery of Tsukiji and some restaurants have moved to the new location of Toyosu, the outer marketplace is still thriving!
Tips before you go
· Arrive before lunch time (aim for 10.30- 11.30am).
· Take cash.
· Try not to walk and eat. Once you have your food find somewhere to stand out of the way.
· Ask before taking a photo “Shashin OK?” you’ll be surprised at how happy you’ll make people. Some of whom will even pose for a picture!
· Wear enclosed shoes that are fine to get wet and slightly fishy.
Miso Soup with Crab “Misoshiru to Kani” みそ汁とカニ
While this was delicious and the Crab was sweet and juicy I thoroughly embarrassed myself attempting to eat this. It was scolding hot trying to break apart the shell, it took forever and the novelty soon wore off. The stall I bought this from offered other crab dishes which I recommend instead.
Grilled Scallops - on a stick “Hotate-Yaki” ホタテ 焼き
The Scallop meat was tender and fresh. It was dressed with a light soy sauce flavouring. While it’s not common to serve the whole Scallop in Australia (we generally only serve the ‘meat’ which is the round muscle part) in Japan it’s regularly served with the skirting still attached. It’s perfectly edible but the texture took me a little to become used to. It’s almost a slight cartilage texture.
I think the reason for this is to show that the Scallop is fresh not frozen and Japanese are less wasteful, trying to use the whole animal.
Tom and I once had an incredible little entrée that was just made from raw Scallops outer skirting! Yum!
Squid legs fried in fish cake from Kibun Shokuhin “Ika geso age” イカげそ揚げ
The first time we ate these it was relatively freshly fried so it was incredible but it’s cooked in big batches so it can be hard to tell. They’ll reheat the squid for you quickly in the microwave and you get a generous portion of bite sized pieces of legs per order. This is worth trying especially for someone who might not be very adventurous with seafood.
Grilled Eel and Mackerel from Nisshin Tasuke “Unagi-Yaki and Saba no Yaki ” うなぎ焼き & さばの焼き
Tasty, freshly grilled, chunky pieces of Eel and Mackerel! This stall offers an array of different skewers which they grill once you order. Each stick costs only ¥200! I was very impressed with the Mackerel as this was my first time trying it and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! It burst with oils and juices. You can’t go wrong with Grilled Unagi in Japan either!
Japanese Omelette from Marutake Tamagoyaki “Tamagoyaki” 玉子焼き
I know this is an article about a fish market but if you go here and don’t get one of these you. Are. A. FOOL. It’s sweet, a little savoury, freshly made, soft, warm and best of all it’s $1! I had to stop myself from filling up entirely on these.
Tuna Belly Rice Bowl from Maguroya Kurogin “Chu-Toro Don” 中とろ丼
We tried Maguroya Kurogin’s ‘Medium Fatty Maguro Bowl’ which costs ¥1,500 (Approx $19) and offered a generous serve of medium fatty tuna belly “Chu-toro” and a portion of finely chopped high fat tuna belly “Otoro” while $19 aud seems expensive, it’s very reasonable for this grade of cut and quality of meat. This stall is very popular and for good reason; the quality is excellent, the staff are very friendly and they offer freshly made bowls or pre-made take away bowls as well as Maki rolls.
While the quality is excellent and we highly recommend this dish; this is not the best option for street food as the portion is bigger than it looks! If you want to try multiple stalls then buy this one to share!
Inari Sushi with Salmon Roe, Crab and Sea Urchin from Tsukiben “Inari Zushi to Ikura, to Kani, to Uni”いなり寿司, とイクラ, とカニ , とうに
A fantastic little parcel perfect for street food and is only ¥500. We tried Uni & Ikura and Uni, ikura & Crab. We recommend the Uni & Crab as it’s a Crab specialty stall and the Uni was very nice from here for the price.
Bonus waving fat Shiba of good fortune and great food. Spotted outside of Tsukiji. We have been blessed.