Hamo, or pike conger eel, is one of Awaji Island’s most celebrated seasonal foods and a traditional taste of summer in Japan. Its main season runs from June through September. The fish is known for its delicate white flesh, which combines a light, refined flavor with natural sweetness, richness, and a satisfying amount of fat. Local tradition holds that hamo becomes especially flavorful after the rains of the early summer rainy season.
Although summer is the best-known season for hamo, the fish also develops a rich flavor in autumn, offering another opportunity to enjoy this prized seafood. A particularly desirable size for eating is around 70–80 cm long and weighing approximately 700–1,000 grams.
Hamo caught around Awaji Island is especially valued for its texture and flavor. The waters near Numashima, one of the area’s principal fishing grounds, have a soft, muddy seabed. This environment helps protect the skin on the underside of the fish from abrasion, giving it a particularly thin and tender texture. The surrounding waters are also influenced by the strong currents of the Naruto Strait, which help produce firm flesh with a rich, satisfying taste.
Hamo can be prepared in many ways, each highlighting a different aspect of its delicate flavor. Popular dishes include hamo no yubiki, in which the fish is briefly blanched and served chilled; hamo shabu-shabu, where thin pieces are swished through hot broth; and crispy hamo tempura.
One essential preparation is hone-kiri, the traditional technique of making numerous fine cuts through the eel’s flesh to break up its many small bones without cutting through the skin. This careful preparation allows hamo to be enjoyed with a tender texture despite its intricate bone structure.
Hamo suki is one of Awaji Island’s signature local dishes. It combines prepared hamo with the island’s famous sweet onions in a savory broth, often accompanied by other vegetables. The ingredients complement one another beautifully: the eel contributes rich umami, while the onions release their natural sweetness as they cook.
The broth is an essential part of the experience. As the hamo and vegetables simmer, their flavors mingle to create a deeply satisfying soup. Rather than enjoying only the fish, diners can savor the full flavor of the ingredients infused into the broth.
The timing of the hamo season coincides with the harvest of Awaji Island’s onions, making this combination a natural expression of the island’s seasonal cuisine. Hamo has a delicate flavor, gentle sweetness, and rich texture, while Awaji onions are renowned for their mild taste and natural sweetness. Together, they create the distinctive flavor that has made hamo suki a favorite local specialty.
Hamo has a long history in the culinary traditions of the Kansai region. Before modern refrigeration, transporting fresh seafood over long distances was difficult. According to local accounts, the development of the Zako-ba fish market in Osaka during the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi helped expand the distribution of seafood caught around Awaji Island to markets in Osaka, Sakai, and Amagasaki.
Hamo was particularly suited to this trade because it is a hardy fish that can survive transport while still alive. As the commercial centers of Osaka and Kyoto grew, the fish became an important ingredient in the region’s restaurant cuisine. Today, hamo remains closely associated with Kyoto’s Gion Festival and Osaka’s Tenjin Festival, where it continues to be enjoyed as a traditional summer delicacy.
You can recreate this classic Awaji Island hot pot using a few simple ingredients. The following recipe serves four people.
400 g of hamo, prepared with fine bone cuts; 2 Awaji Island onions; 800 ml of dashi stock; 50 ml of sake; 50 ml of mirin; 50 ml of soy sauce; and an assortment of vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, chrysanthemum greens, and enoki mushrooms, as desired.
Pour the dashi stock into a pot and season it with sake, mirin, and soy sauce. Add the sliced Awaji onions and any other vegetables you wish to use. Cut the prepared hamo into bite-sized pieces and add them to the simmering broth. Cook briefly until the fish is done, then enjoy it with the tender vegetables and flavorful soup.
Restaurants throughout Awaji Island serve a variety of dishes made with fresh local hamo. Alongside the famous hamo suki hot pot, visitors can try chilled blanched hamo, hamo shabu-shabu, and tempura. For travelers exploring the island between June and September, sampling these seasonal specialties is a wonderful way to experience the region’s seafood traditions and the distinctive flavors of Awaji Island.