Samma no Surimi Jiru (Pacific Saury Fish Ball Soup)

Remove heads and innards from 2 large Pacific saury weighing about 200g before cleaning, then peel off the skin.

Fillet away the backbones, pull visible pin bones, and chop the flesh finely. Wash the knife and board thoroughly after handling the raw fish.

Put the chopped saury flesh in a mortar and grind for at least 5 minutes until smooth and sticky.

Add 50g miso, 1 egg, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons sake, then continue grinding until the mixture gathers into a cohesive paste.

Cut 250g daikon and 40g carrot into irregular bite-size chunks.

Slice 30g green onion diagonally into 1cm pieces, and cut 200g tofu into sturdy 2.5cm bite-size cubes.

Bring 1800ml water to a vigorous boil in a large pot.

Wet a spoon, scoop the saury paste into 20 to 30g portions, round each one, and lower them into the boiling water one at a time. Reduce to medium, skim surface foam, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Split one fish ball and confirm that its center is opaque, firm, and fully cooked.

Add the daikon and carrot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until easily pierced. Add the tofu and green onion, boil for 2 minutes more until the soup returns to a full simmer, and remove from heat.