Chikuwa Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Homemade Chikuwa

Chikuwa are hollow, tube-shaped Japanese fish cakes. The name chikuwa, which translates to “bamboo rings” in Japanese, is a nod to the cake’s shape after it has been sliced. Chikuwa is made from surimi, a paste made from ground white fish (like Alaska pollock, varieties of flying fish, bream, or bass), sugar, salt, starch, and egg whites. Kamaboko, the pink-and-white fish cakes often served atop bowls of ramen and satsuma-age are popular fish cake variations.

Chikuwa is a common snack in Japan, served with a bit of soy sauce on the side and typically stuffed with various ingredients, like fresh cucumber and carrots. In Tottori and Nagasaki, tofu is added to the fish meat to make tofu chikuwa. Elsewhere in the world, chikuwa is stuffed with cheese and fried in tempura batter to make a crispy, savory appetizer or side dish.

You can buy pre-steamed and grilled chikuwa in most Asian grocery stores, but if you do plan to make your own, here are a few tips:

1. 1. Check the fish for pin bones. If using fresh fish, ask your fishmonger to skin and debone the fillets, and double-check the meat for any remaining scales or bones before using. (Alternatively, you can use frozen fillets.)
2. 2. Use the right skewer. When making chikuwa, the fish paste is molded around a thick bamboo skewer before cooking. The skewer is removed after the chikuwa has cooled in order to create the signature hollow center of the tube. These are slightly wider than kebab skewers, or the tapered kind used for other grilled items, like yakitori, so try to buy the thickest one available. This skewer option will also make it easier to turn the chikuwa as they cook.
3. 3. Purée with cold ingredients. Blending the surimi cold will make the paste easier to work with as you roll. If you’re using fresh fish fillets, dice and partially freeze the pieces before blending.