Help me to free my willy
It’s been over 3 months since my last trip to Japan, and it takes me this long to finally writing this post about a little something I brought back from Japan. Before I begin, let me clarify that this post is not my intentions to upset anybody if you find it offensive, and I also believe that you all would probably agree that as a foodie, we should try all the food at least once without harming our natural food chain.
I am sure you can guess what it is by now and you probably can see the small print at the bottom on the can, this red can of roast minke whale meat in gravy cost ¥350 (AUD5.50), from a shop in Asakusa, Tokyo Japan. I’ve been to Japan twice now, and this is the only time I found a shop in the old part of town that sells whale meat, even the biggest Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo are keeping whale meat out of public eye, for all the obvious reasons.
Whale meat used to be a staple food for Japanese, a common dish on the lunch menu. Now, we are talking about 60 years ago, back in 1940s when whaling is widely executed and whale meat was one of the main source of protein for Japanese to survive after the World War. Whale meat is scarce when commercial whaling has been banned since 1986. It is now considered a delicacy to the Japanese, and they don’t come cheap at ¥1,800 (AUD30) for 100gram of ruby red goodness. Having said that, recently Japan’s whalers are going broke and have been forced to slash prices because whale meat is no long a common meat in the young Japanese diet.
I stumbled across this little corner shop in Asakusa shopping arcade. A friendly Japanese salesgirl behind the counter welcomed me as I walked in. The silver desk which at first I believed is the counter turns out to be two massive freezer, with frozen whale meat sealed and stacked neatly inside. On the other side of the shop, a variety of products made from whale meat are on display including cans of whale meat in variety gravy and sauces (curry I noticed), whale meat jerky and jars of fish oil supplements, from a whale of course. After a quick browse, I walked out with this little red can of whale meat in gravy.
I am curious about whale meat, and I do want to try and see what it taste like, so I brought this can of whale meat back into country. (Don’t ask me how I got past the custom into Australia) I am sure the processed whale meat in can probably taste nothing like the fresh whale meat, but it is the best I can do. The can has been sitting on the shelf since I got back from Japan. It is not because I am hesitated to open it and scared to try it, but simply because I don’t know what to eat it with?!
I googled for “whale meat recipe” (well I don’t do that very often let me assure you) and the internet shows minimal results. Am I supposed to eat it with steamed rice? perhaps a whale meat burger? or with a clean salad? I don’t know… It is the only can I have, and probably will be the first time and the last time for me to try whale meat, so I really would like a good reason and the best way to experience it.
That’s why I am writing this post and looking for suggestions from all my readers, how I should eat my only can of whale meat. Any suggestions and wild ideas welcomed, and the best recipe/suggestion submitted will be put on a taste test and of course I will update you guys with the outcome. So please help me to free my willy!
Again, tasting whale meat is purely for my own culinary experience.
Resources: Japan puts whale burger on menu (2005) The missing minke (2006) Force to slash price over unwanted whale meat (2008)
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
Ooh gorgeous new blog. People say the texture is like beef, but since it’s canned, steak is out and the only thing I can think of with canned beef is a nice stew or curry of some sort. Have you opened the can yet?
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Hmmm…how you ever got this past customs, I will never know! I’m not really familiar with any “moby dick” recipes (sorry I couldn’t resist!). It’ll be interesting to see what suggestions you get…
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Can I clarify whether the contents of the can requires cooking or is it ready to eat? I say keep-it-simple. With a bowl of steaming plain white rice.
Haha good ninjaing this past customs. Hmm yeah I agree with keeping it simple cos it looks like its marinated in a sauce already.
I am curious about what it is like hmm.
@mirvettium: No I havent open the can, but I have to agree with you I think it will be like a stew, that’s why I am struggling not sure how to eat it.
@Peter G: norty!
But shhh… dont tell the custom! 
@K: I think is ready made with gravy…, I like to keep it simple so I can taste the flavour, but also the idea of eating the canned meat as it is with steamed rice, pouring all the sauce over the steamed rice…. *shudders*
@FFichiban: hehehe… I actually do not like smuggling things into Australia because is just not worth it and end up with a hefty fine. I did declare with food content and packed everything into one bag and showed the custom officer, unfortunately I totally forgot about the can until I unpacked my luggage when I was home. Lucky me I guess.
ready made is a good thing. a girlfriend of mine recently got back from japan & said the whale sashimi tasted like chewy grissly fatty fish :/
here’s hoping it tastes better cooked
I would just eat it straight out of the can but if you are going to try whale meat once in your life time, why not give the real stuff a go? At least it will be a fairer judgment than trying unidentifiable meat in a can… You can’t say you have ever tried asparagus if you only ever have the ones from a glass jar
I am not sure about whale meat (because it might be a protected species) but generally speaking, bringing fish into Australia is legal and meet quarantine requirements. The fish will need to be gutted and preferably (but not necessarily) without the head. The fish can be fresh, frozen, dried, semi-dried, marinated…. This is speaking from numerous personal experiences and in every case I showed the fish to the custom officers and had no problems.
My favorites to bring back include 一夜干し, 西京焼, イクラ, 明太子…. I wish the Yen can drop a bit so I can go to Japan again!
My sister had whale meat but it was in a restaurant and I think they grilled it so that’s probably not much help. But I’d love to hear all about it when you do eat it! It’s very easy to forget about things that you’ve bought when going through customs, I’ve done it accidentally once or twice!
Japanese people usually eat that sort of canned flavored/cooked food as is with beers, just like having a bowl full of nuts. おつまみ系ですな。
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Though this may be for culinary research, I would advise holding off from opening the can until your next trip back to Japan as some other people have advised. At an izakaya somewhere around Koshien, I had the rather unique experience of whale sushi.
I couldn’t tell you what sort of whale though, as I wasn’t even aware it was whale until it was placed in front of me. And, you know how it’s impolite to refuse the offerings of the host…
A photo of the whale sushi for reference.
As stated in a couple of comments, it has the texture of beef (raw beef in my case) and somewhat chewy but with a tasted something akin to tuna. It was good but not something I personally go out of my way for now that I know what it’s like.
If you had to have it in the can form, I’d do a very simple japanese salad with yuzu dressing. Oh, and a Japanese beer or sake if you wanted to go with the izakaya theme. Would also help to wash it down if it doesn’t end up being a culinary delight.
Excellent stealth running, it’s hard to beat customs these days. I applaud your skill.
Possibly with a bit of white bread instead of rice is my contribution, it looks somewhat like beef rendang from the picture. Yes I know that’s a bit of a stretch…don’t wail too much at the tail end of my inspiration.
Beer would probably be a good idea too, especially if the taste isn’t to expectation…
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I did an exchange to Japan after school, a long time ago now, and I remember eating whale. It tasted like bacon but was white with black rind – that’s how I remember it anyway!
I had the frozen raw whale sashimi (kojira perhaps) that comes on some pub menus while I was studying abroad there. It reminded me of tuna, but with less taste…being frozen probably didn’t help much. Not much flavor, and you could tell it was pretty fatty. I like raw horse better! Never sprung for whale in a can, though there was a big whale shop in Asakusa, Tokyo.