Known as the foie gras of the sea, Ankimo is a steamed monkfish liver, which is considered a delicacy in Japan. This dish is often offered as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, but you can easily make it at home if you can find packaged ankimo in your local grocery store.
What is Ankimo?
Ankimo (あん肝) is a Japanese dish made with monkfish (anko 鮟鱇) liver (kimo 肝). It is known as the foie gras of the sea and considered a delicacy in Japan.
It’s a dish that Mr. JOC enjoys but I don’t. He’s a true foodie and he enjoys all kinds of food, and my son takes after his gene as well. I wouldn’t call myself a picky eater but I didn’t eat intestine and offal growing up in Japan, so I’ve had to learn to appreciate them (Did you read I’m not a big fan of Beef Tendon Stew?).
How is Ankimo prepared?
I’ve seen some website sharing how it’s prepared, but it’s not a very pretty scene so I suggest you to check it out only if you’re really interested.
Here’s the shortened process:
- Remove the liver from monkfish.
- Rub with salt and rinse with sake.
- Pick the veins.
- Roll into a cylinder.
- Steam.
Ankimo is often served with thinly sliced green onions and momiji oroshi, which is a grated daikon that is seasoned with red chili pepper, and drizzled with ponzu sauce.
Where to Find Ankimo
Many Japanese restaurants offer ankimo as an appetizer but it’s pretty pricey. They charge upwards of $10+ for 2-3 slices. I thought I should recommend you to look for this package at your local Japanese/Korean grocery stores to eat it at home. It’s much more economical and I think many Japanese restaurants get the same one to serve.
I’ve seen this particular package of ankimo (by Azuma Foods) in the freezer section of both Japanese and Korean grocery stores in the Bay Area (Nijiya in San Mateo and Hankook Supermarket in Sunnyvale. Please comment below if you are able to find packaged ankimo at your local supermarket.).
Online shops include:
What to Do with Leftover Ankimo
You might only use half of ankimo for an appetizer dish and wonder what to do with the leftover. I highly suggest you check out our family’s favorite hot pot, Anko Nabe (Monkfish Hot Pot)!
This hot pot is also a delicacy in Japan because monkfish is quite expensive. However, during the winter months monkfish is pretty affordable in Korean grocery stores. So make some appetizers one day and a hot pot the next day!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Ankimo
Known as the foie gras of the sea, Ankimo is a steamed monkfish liver, which is considered a delicacy in Japan. This dish is often offered as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, but you can easily make it at home if you can find packaged ankimo in your local grocery store.
- ½ package Ankimo
- 4 shiso leaves (Ooba)
- 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed
Seasonings
- ponzu
- 1.5 inch daikon radish
- ½ tsp Ichimi Togarashi (Japanese chili pepper)
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak dried wakame seaweed in water for 10 minutes, or until rehydrated.
- Grate daikon radish.
- Gently squeeze water out, leaving some moisture (don’t make it completely dry out).
- Add ½ tsp Ichimi Togarashi and mix together.
- Take out Ankimo from the package. Thinly slice the Ankimo, roughly ¼ inch thickness. I served 3 slices for each person.
- Serve the Ankimo on a plate, garnish with shiso, wakame, and grated and seasoned daikon. Serve chilled.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
