Meet French Chef who makes Japanese delicacy in Fukushima
Feb 10, 2024
Fukushima [Japan], February 10 : French chef Dominique Corby has earned numerous medals, including the highest order of merit, Legion d' honor, or Legion of Honour, from the French government for preparing French cuisine.
Corby's passion prompts him to travel the world in search of quality ingredients.
Based on JFOODO's recommendation, he paid attention to Fukushima's winter fishery. JFOODO is developing promotions to accelerate the export of Japanese food.
Dominique Corby visited the Haragama fishing harbour in Soma City. It is a very familiar place for him.
French Chef Corby said, "I visited Fukushima for a soup kitchen for disaster victims after the Great East Japan Earthquake. It was a very bad situation, but today, I felt it is recovered and energetic as before."
The seafood market is filled with positive energy, and the workers at Fishing Harbour Haragama expressed confidence in the area's recovery.
"Have people gotten better?" Hirofumi Konno from Souma Futaba Fishery Cooperative said.
Due to the nuclear power plant accident and the Great East Japan Earthquake, fishing was suspended for approximately a year. The primary products currently being landed are branded Japanese pufferfish and representative fish flounder.
Chef Corby selected high-quality ingredients for his French cuisine. The best fish to eat in the winter is flounder. Fishermen's self-restriction protects it.
Kyoichi Kamiyama, Fisheries Resources Research Institute of Fukushima, said, "Many flounders in Fukushima prefecture are very large. To protect small flounder less than 50 centimetres, only larger one is landed."
After his return to Tokyo, Chef Corby managed to capture the essence of Fukushima's cuisine and prepare his own dish.
"Yes, it's completed. The first dish is a marinade of red gurnard, flounder, and John Dory. The second dish is bouillabaisse. I used swimming crab and scallops from Hokkaido. It's Corby magic. It's a collaboration between Fukushima and my skills," Corby added.
Now, Corby also adds new flavours to his stock of French cuisine after his fishing trip to Fukushima.
