March 16, 2024 Hokuriku Shinkansen opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga! 16 recommended local gourmet dishes in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture

• Table of Contents
• Access to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture
• ①Echizen crab
• ②Tsuruga blowfish
• ③Tsuruga red sea bream
• ④ Grilled mackerel
• ⑤ Grilled mackerel sushi
• ⑥ Sauce cutlet bowl
• ⑦Sweet shrimp
• ⑧Tsuruga Ramen
• ⑨ Oboro kelp
• ⑩Kamaboko
• ⑪Heshiko
• ⑫Water yokan
• ⑬Daffodil Manju
• ⑭ Bean Rakugan
• ⑮Habutae mochi
• ⑯Gyuhi kelp
• Would you like to go eat Tsuruga's specialty?

Access to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture

Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture is known as a railway and port town, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen finally opened in Fukui Prefecture on March 16, 2024. After that, you can access it from Tokyo without changing trains. Enjoy local gourmet food in Tsuruga, which is now more easily accessible.

For details on how to access Tsuruga from Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Kanazawa, please refer to the article below.

①Echizen crab

The main character of winter in Hokuriku!

All of them are sure to be delicious!

Crabs landed at Tsuruga Port and Mikuni Port in Fukui are called Echizen crabs, and the males are called snow crabs and the females are called seiko crabs. It's very satisfying to eat, and can be boiled, cooked in a pot, grilled, or raw. No matter which one you choose, it's sure to be delicious. The port is bustling with activity every year from the opening day on November 6th.

Snow crab: November 6th to March 20th of the following year

Seiko crab: November 6th to December 31st

Water crab: February 19th to March 20th of the following year

[Yellow tag] This tag is proof of Echizen crab!

You can enjoy eating it in various ways!

[Crab cuisine] A moment of bliss!

[Crab sashimi] Eating it raw has a melt-in-the-mouth sweetness that is exquisite!

[Crab Legs] Enjoy the flavor of the classic dish with vinegar and soy sauce!

[Grilled Crab] Fragrant and concentrated in flavor!

[Crab hotpot] This is definitely the dish for winter! The soup is also full of crab flavor!

②Tsuruga blowfish

Once you try Tsuruga fugu, which is locally available at an affordable price and extremely fresh, you'll be hooked.

The tiger puffer fish grown in Tsuruga is called "Tsuruga blowfish." There are many ways to eat the tessa, such as refreshing it with ponzu sauce, eating it thickly, or grilling it or tempura. Once you try Tsuruga fugu, which is locally available at an affordable price and extremely fresh, you will be addicted to it.

October to March

③Tsuruga red sea bream

The highest ranking red sea bream in the prefecture raised by the Tsuruga sea

Why is Tsuruga red sea bream delicious?

Tsuruga is an area facing the Sea of ​​Japan, where the sea is rough and the area often experiences heavy snow in winter. Because Tsuruga red sea bream is farmed in such a harsh and harsh environment, it has plenty of exercise and has a strong vitality that can withstand sudden changes in water temperature. In addition, by feeding the fish with highly nutritious feed such as crab shells, the quality, color, and fat content of the fish will be excellent. While the classic salt-grilled food is no longer available, shabu-shabu is also recommended during hotpot season. You can enjoy the deliciousness of Tsuruga red sea bream no matter how you prepare it, whether it's made, grilled, or boiled.

④ Grilled mackerel

A dish made by carefully grilling a whole mackerel using a unique skewer method! Enjoy with ginger soy sauce.

A carefully baked masterpiece.

⑤ Grilled mackerel sushi

Authentic taste that you definitely want to experience when visiting Fukui!

The stick sushi with plenty of grilled mackerel on top of vinegared rice is chewy and filling!

There are also those wrapped in kelp and those made with Hamayaki, so it's fun to compare them.

⑥ Sauce cutlet bowl

Local gourmet food that represents Fukui!

In Fukui Prefecture, when we talk about ``katsudon,'' we mean ``sauce katsudon.'' The taste is completely different from the standard katsudon, which is made by covering the cutlet with egg. Freshly fried pork cutlets are dipped in each store's secret sauce, which is based on Worcestershire sauce, and served in a bowl. The sweet sauce and crispy texture of the cutlet are irresistible.

⑦Sweet shrimp

Seafood representing the taste of winter

When eaten as sashimi, the clear, fresh flesh is characterized by a sweetness that spreads in your mouth. Along with Echizen crab, it is a seafood that represents the taste of winter. Sweet shrimp caught offshore is landed at the market with its freshness and flavor intact. It has a sweet taste and is very delicious when eaten as sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce.

⑧Tsuruga Ramen

Rich pork bone + chicken bone soup

Tsuruga Ramen started from a food stall near Tsuruga Station. It was crowded with train passengers, railway staff, and bus users. More than 50 years later, its popularity has not waned, and stalls and stores are open from 8pm to 2am, each offering their own special ramen. Tsuruga ramen is basically tonkotsu + chicken bone soup. Why not try some delicious ramen while walking around?

⑨ Oboro kelp

National share approximately 85%

Tsuruga is one of the nation's leading producers of kelp processing. "Handmade Oboro Kombu", which is said to account for about 85% of the total production in Japan, is a thin, silk-like kelp that is carved with the knife of a craftsman.

⑩Kamaboko

Traditional skills and history of craftsmen

Tsuruga Port is where fresh seafood from the Sea of ​​Japan is landed. The taste is due to the thorough selection of ingredients selected from a wide variety of marine products. Please enjoy its deliciousness as a dish at your home table.

⑪Heshiko

Traditional cuisine of Wakasa area

A dish made by pickling carefully selected fatty mackerel in rice bran using a unique method and fermenting it. Perfect with freshly cooked rice or as an ochazuke.

⑫Water yokan

A famous winter sweet loved in Fukui.

I'm sure many of you are thinking, ``Huh? Why not drink water in the winter?'' However, in Fukui, it's an indispensable part of the family's relaxing time under a kotatsu in a warm room during the winter. It is characterized by its soft and juicy texture, and the gentle aroma of brown sugar and elegant sweetness when you put it in your mouth makes it a sweet that people in Fukui miss every time winter comes.

⑬Daffodil Manju

It is also a summer tradition

A cold and refreshing Japanese sweet.

These are manju buns with strained bean paste wrapped in translucent dough made from kudzu and bracken flour. During the hot summer months, there is a custom of eating sweets chilled with cold water, and there are many Japanese sweets shops that actually sell them chilled with cold water. Its refreshing sight and refreshing taste will soothe the heat.

⑭ Bean Rakugan

Adorable and simple lucky sweets.

Each piece is carefully made using traditional methods using soybeans as an ingredient, and is a dish with just the right amount of sweetness and rich soybean flavor. The smiling face of Otafuku is also a popular souvenir for tea ceremonies, as it soothes the soul.

⑮Habutae mochi

A famous confection representing Fukui.

This is a fine-grained mochi confectionery that is famous nationwide. Soft to the touch, with a slight sweetness. Each piece is as thin and smooth as a high-quality silk fabric, and the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture is irresistible.

⑯Gyuhi kelp

Tsuruga's traditional sweets

A soft-tasting mochi confectionery made by steaming and kneading kelp flour and glutinous rice flour.

Would you like to go eat Tsuruga's specialty?

Did you find any local gourmet food in Tsuruga that caught your attention? Full of delicious items that will make you want to eat them all! Please go on a gourmet journey where you can enjoy the flavors of the season!

Please see below for recommended Tsuruga food and souvenirs at Nihonkai Sakana Machi.

Japan Sea Sakana Town, the largest seafood market on the Sea of ​​Japan side

Check out Tsuruga tourist information!