The Beautifully Streamlined Saury

Let's get straight to it: it's autumn, the season of appetite! Autumn brings a succession of delicious ingredients, from matsutake mushrooms to new rice, new soba, chestnuts, grapes, and ginkgo nuts. But a true seasonal specialty is at its best and most affordable. Therefore, for me, the undisputed cleanup hitter among autumn flavors is undoubtedly the saury.

The Joy of Grilling It Yourself Over Charcoal

In my childhood, I remember seeing saury being grilled over a shichirin (charcoal brazier) in the back alleys, filling the air with smoke. Nowadays, when people grill saury at home, they typically use a fish grill. But if it's too large and you cut it in half before grilling, all the delicious fat will drip away, ruining it.

I assert that the best way to enjoy saury is to place it whole on a shichirin and grill it yourself over charcoal.
The sizzling sound of the fat dripping, the vigorously rising smoke, and even the act of earnestly confronting a mere saury all heighten the mood. And then, the sheer delight of taking a bite of piping hot saury, slightly charred at the edges, with grated daikon radish!

My home has three barbecue grills, two charcoal stoves, and two shichirin, which is perhaps a bit excessive for a two-person household. I can't deny I have a bit of a charcoal grilling mania.
The black shichirin in the photo, which I recently acquired, was found at a hardware store in Nagano. Details are unknown, but the owner said it's made by applying diatomaceous earth powder mixed with charcoal powder and firing it twice. I had a flash of inspiration that its shape and color would be perfect for saury, and it turned out to be a truly excellent match.