It was 10:30 am in the port city of Yaizu, southwest of Tokyo. Some 15 men and women waited patiently in front of a stall for a van to arrive from the fish auction. A massive, radiant man in his 40s emerged, eliciting cheerful shouts. Naoki Maeda is not a local authority but a fishmonger, and the small group welcoming him was made up of cooks who had come specially from Kyoto (a four-hour drive away) to learn how to get the best out of seafood.

"Naoki Maeda's technique is unique," said local chef Yasuhiko Inoue, who had just bought a fine batch of swordfish and sea bream. "People come from all over Japan, and even abroad, to consult the man nicknamed the 'magic fishmonger' because he is capable of getting the best out of every fish."

Maeda's relationship with sea creatures is very special. Before talking to the Kyoto chefs, he headed for a tank where a parrotfish restlessly moved about. As his "master" approached, the fish popped its head out of the water and allowed himself to be caressed. "We've known each other for nine years, and we've become so close that he sometimes behaves like a puppy," joked the colossus, before confiding: "I'm self-taught in my ikejime practice. Nobody taught me how to work with fish. After a specialized high school, I relied mainly on my own experiments and observations."

The craftsman spent a good three hours explaining to the chefs what temperature to keep fish at, which ice cubes to use, why and how to salt fillets. But the most spectacular part of this impromptu conference was a demonstration of ikejime, an ancestral Japanese slaughtering technique which he continues to perfect.

Perforating the brain

Maeda grabbed two live horse mackerel from a tank. He made a rough cut through the throat of the first and a deep gash at the base of the head of the second, which perforated the brain. The method is brutal but effective. The first fish convulsed for a long time, its fins raised and its body tense, while the second died instantly and remained motionless. After a 10-minute wait, the fishmonger invited the chefs to touch the horse mackerel. "See how the stress has affected the flesh of the first, which has become extremely rigid, while the other has remained supple," he said. "This will obviously have an impact on the texture when tasted."

To this technique, Maeda added two recommendations. First, drain the fish of its blood, simply because if left to rot in the animal, it will spoil and stink. Secondly, destroy its nervous system. To do this, the craftsman performed another impressive technical gesture. He pushed a metal wire into the fish, following its spinal column. "In this way, the animal degrades very slowly," explained the expert. "You can keep it for several days or weeks, depending on the species, size and condition when you catch it. On the contrary, the flesh of a fish killed any old way, asphyxiated in nets, becomes rigid and then turns to mush."

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