When grilling a whole fish, “Keshojio” (Decorative salt) is a must-have. Grilling tends to burn the fins and make them look less appealing. To prevent this, you would want to apply some salt on them before grilling. The salt protects the fins from burning and helps them keep looking great. It also adds a nice salty flavor.
For the best result, make sure to spread the fins out before sprinkling on the keshojio, and work the salt into the spaces between them. This helps the fins stand nicely for a neat appearance. After salting, the moisture from the fish dissolves the salt, making it look like there isn’t enough. This is where I ask you to be careful not to overdo it on the salt.
In the photo, check out how keshojio is used on an “ayu” (sweetfish), skewered in a “noborikushi” (ascending skewer) style. Ayu tastes best when grilled right after being salted. You definitely want to use Keshojio and give this “queen of river fish” a beautiful finish.
