Sapporo Station sells a wide variety of ekiben, from seafood to meat, giving the impression of Hokkaido’s abundance of both seafood and mountain delicacies. Among them, I chose “Hokkai Kaisen Shikoku-meshi” because seafood is a must in winter.
As its name suggests, the main attraction of this ekiben is that you can enjoy four different kinds of seafood: crab rice, sea urchin rice, salmon and salmon roe rice, and scallop rice.
When you take off the lid, you will see the gorgeous contents of the dish, which will heighten your anticipation, whether you like it or not. The crab rice is filled with crab meat cooked with bamboo shoots, the sea urchin rice has steamed sea urchin on a bed of hijiki (elbow-length sea urchin), the salmon and salmon roe rice has salmon meat and salmon roe marinated in soy sauce, and the scallop rice is filled with grilled scallop meat. The rice underneath is not white rice or vinegared rice, but kelp rice cooked with kombu (kelp).
We started with the crabmeat, which had a sweet and savory crab flavor that was irresistible. Moreover, the kelp drifting from the rice seemed to enhance the flavor of the crab even more. The crunchy texture of the bamboo shoots also adds a nice accent to the dish, allowing you to continue eating without getting tired of it.
Next is the sea urchin rice. The sea urchin is steamed sea urchin, but it has a strong sweetness along with a unique sea flavor. It does not have the sticky texture of raw uni, but you can fully enjoy the deliciousness of uni. The hijiki (hijiki mushrooms) underneath the sea urchin does not interfere with the deliciousness of the sea urchin and enhances the flavor of the sea.
Salmon and salmon roe rice has a great synergy between the savory salmon and the flavor of the salmon roe that bursts and spreads. The taste is as good as it looks, and it is safe to say that it is as delicious as it is mouthwatering.
And then there is the scallop rice. The scallops are laid out with two whole pieces of meat and finely chopped meat. The meat has a relatively savory flavor, perhaps due to the fact that it is grilled. In addition, while other seafood dishes are more directly delicious the moment you put them in your mouth, the scallop rice has the flavor of scallops that rushes into your mouth as you chew, and the flavor increases as you eat more and more of the dish. I found this contrast very interesting.
Ekiben with specific seafood are good, but the luxury of being able to enjoy four different types of seafood at once may not be enjoyed at other ekiben. We recommend this ekiben as a way to enjoy all of Hokkaido’s seafood.
© Source travel watch