A Blog in Honor of my Friend, Nobu
On yesterday’s blog, I wrote about attending a tribute dinner honoring Christophe Navarre, CEO of Moet Hennessy and my friend, Nobu Matsuhisa, the acclaimed and highly influential chef proprietor of Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurants located across five continents. I have known Nobu for many years and together, the two of us have spent a good deal of time in front of the camera. Perhaps you remember seeing him on my television show. The March issue of my magazine, Martha Stewart Living, features a wonderful story about Nobu with excellent recipes. In 2000, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan and met up with Nobu at the Tsukiji Market (pronounced Skee gee), the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. Walking through this amazing place with Nobu was simply thrilling! To see the video that we shot there, please click here. I was very pleased to honor Nobu last weekend. He is an extraordinary man who has single-handedly changed peoples’ perceptions of Japanese cuisine all around the globe. I hope you’ll enjoy this little blast from the past in honor of Nobu.
1 Many years ago, for a magazine and TV story, I worked side-by-side with Nobu in his original restaurant in New York City. He taught me how to make an excellent vegetable sushi roll.
2 We made gorgeous hand rolls.
3 And impeccably fresh sushi
4 We made other sushi rolls.
5 And enticing yellowtail sashimi
6 To congratulate my good work, Nobu presented me with my very own chef's jacket with my name embroidered on it - the very one I wore at his tribute dinner in Miami at the SoBe Wine & Food Festival.
7 Arigatou gozaimasu
8 Of course, Nobu made regular appearances on my television show, teaching us all how to prepare his fabulous Japanese creations.
9 In 2000, I traveled to Tokyo and toured Tsukiji Market with Nobu. It is a bustling place in the wee hours of the morning. Turret trucks, like these, zip around the market transporting goods.
10 The inner market is a feast for the eyes. It's where most of the wholesale business and the famous tuna auctions take place. This vendor sold nothing but octopus.
11 The market covers 54 acres and I had never seen so many kinds of fish!
12 There were all sorts of smoked fish for sale.
13 Three million pounds of fish are sold daily at Tsukiji!
14 The fish comes from local Japanese waters and from the waters of 60 other nations.
15 There are approximately 900 wholesale dealers doing business in this inner market.
16 These fish are still swimming, so yes, the fish is quite fresh!
17 I was drawn to these blow fish.
18 I even picked one up.
19 Nobu, who is quite a character, told me to kiss it.
20 This woman said she shucks 400 clams per hour! Just amazing!
21 This man was wrestling with a large tuna.
22 While this fellow was cutting his tuna into sushi restaurant sized slabs. Notice his long and razor-sharp blade, called oroshi-hōchō.
23 The tuna auction happens every morning, at 5am, except for Sunday, when the market is closed.
24 Tuna of all sizes is auctioned off to the highest bidder.
25 This is my dear friend, Momoko Sano, who is my faithful companion and guide whenever I am in Japan. This is the outer market, whose retail shops and restaurants cater to the public.
26 There are several shops that sell kitchen tools and Nobu took me to the one where he purchased his first sushi knife.
27 Eating a great sushi breakfast is a must when visiting Tsukiji. The fish could not be any fresher.
28 There was so much good food to be had.
29 This is tamagoyaki, a type of Japanese omelet, which is made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. It was fabulous at the market.
30 Nobu and I shared several bites.
31 And we even toasted with some wonderful sake!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
That is a LOT of fish!
I'm glad you have such long-lasting friendships, Martha. That says a lot for your character.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | March 1st, 2013 at 12:12 am
Martha,
I can only imagine the smell of the Tsukiji Market. What was the smell like? This was a great blog and thanks for sharing your friend with us.
Posted by: KLBrown | March 1st, 2013 at 12:37 am
Martha, I enjoyed the video of your visit to the Tsukiji fish market in 2000 with your delightful friend Nobu. The tuna auction is just fascinating!
As I was watching the wonderful segments of you and Nobu, I was reminded of why I love your t.v shows, entertaining and aways informative, how I miss them!
Thanks for this blog, Martha and have a wonderful weekend!
Posted by: Cindy F | March 1st, 2013 at 7:45 am
Dear Martha,
I'm still revelling from your blogs the past two days about your time at the SoBe Wine and Food Festival last weekend. Reading about your special friendship with Nobu makes me want to try to get reservations at one of his Matsuhisa restaurants which is nearly impossible to get. But looking at slide #3 lets me dream about it. Nobu seems as genuine as they come which is so nice to realize after reading your blog about him. There is a mystery about someone as famous as Nobu. All one really knows is that he's a master at his craft and that he is truly gifted. Or at least that's all I knew of him before your posts this past week.But now I feel like I know a little bit more about him and that he is a very nice man and friend. And that means a lot to me. Thank you for another great week of being up close and personal with you through your wonderful blog. It is such a joy to read!! Have a super weekend lovely Martha!!
xo
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Gordon-Miller | March 1st, 2013 at 8:33 am
Smells, sights, and sounds of LIVING are wonderful and loved blast from past. I want to plant some tokyo turnips. Gonna get March issue of your magazine as somehow I don't remember Nobu visit.
Posted by: ann | March 1st, 2013 at 8:40 am
Hi Martha, OMG! How fantastic for you to share such a fabulous blog about one of your greatest friends, Nobu Matsuhisa! He is such a terrific person that I recall seeing on your TV Shows many years ago sharing such great foods with us to enjoy! The video of your trip to Japan to visit him is absolutely awesome and I recall that, also! Thanks for sharing your TV Show videos for us to enjoy again and I will watch all of them over the weekend! These photos of you and Nobu both at that great event in Miami last weekend are also fabulous to see! You and Nobu look so cute in the photos of your 2000 visit to Japan and you both look extremely happy! I recall you going to Nobu's great restaurant in NYC and you certainly learned a lot from him many times! The two of you sure make some delicious items that you shared in these great photos! You look so cute in your chef's jacket Nobu presented you in Miami! Thanks again for sharing this marvelous blog about Nobu and how nice to honor him! Sure hope you have another great day and weekend with the beginning of March and hopefully spring! Off to see The Daily Wag about "What's Sprouting in the Greenhouse?" God Bless All Of You! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 1st, 2013 at 8:58 am
wordpress is so far ahead of my ability to communicate, However; will have to add that Lucinda wrote about Nobu in manner that is memorable in March Issue of LIVING.
Posted by: ann | March 1st, 2013 at 9:07 am
Martha, I still have several copies of the Japanese issues of Martha Stewart Living that you published in the early 2000s. The magazine was called "Martha" and I loved that they open from the opposite end (our back cover is their front cover) and that the magazine was so large. They are treasures of mine. There is a Nobu restaurant in Vancouver (the only one in Canada) that I have yet to try. I loved the video and thank you for sharing so many international cuisines and cultures through your various media. I've learned a lot.
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | March 1st, 2013 at 11:41 am
Hi Martha,
You seem very comfortable around Nobu which I think is a sign of a good friendship. It wouldn’t surprise me if the two of you started out that way – simply comfortable with one another so I’m not surprised that he asked for you to be the Mistress of Ceremonies at his tribute dinner. I think you have the same kind of friendship with Memrie Lewis too. It’s a good thing! I have the same with my best friend from high school. Four of us hung around together but she and I were always closer and we still are but mostly electronically now.
~
I had forgotten about the part of your trip when you ate fish for breakfast or maybe I just didn’t want to remember that part! I don’t think I would do well in Japan with all the fish and please forgive me for never having tasted sushi or whatever name is used for raw fish. It must be the Indian in me that prefers cooked meat. Regardless, the very impressive Tsukiji Market is something to behold. How in the world do they catch all of that fish every day is what I’m wondering. Maybe their fishing techniques are a secret and Nobu is only willing to share a few of his cooking secrets with you – like Miso marinade on top of eggplant. He was kidding of course about it being a secret which I thought was cute. Well, thanks for this blog and for introducing us to Nobu many years ago. I often read the nice things you say about him and I know you enjoy Japanese food. One of these days I might get brave enough to try it but I’m almost sure I will go for the partially cooked. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 1st, 2013 at 11:50 am
Oh, Martha!!!! I am so happy you have the talent and wonderful personality to share your stories and adventures with us!! Please keep sending out the wonderful information so we all can enjoy with you too!
Posted by: Kimberly Marks | March 1st, 2013 at 11:51 am
Oh my, the Japanese really love their fish!! Must have been a facinating trip...thanks for sharing the pics!
Posted by: Liz Bilinski Di Bari | March 1st, 2013 at 1:27 pm
One of these day's I'll get to one on his restaurants..
Posted by: Holiday Baker Man | March 1st, 2013 at 1:47 pm
I can still see how fresh the fishes are. This is a very good share of you.
Posted by: Trisha Sue | March 2nd, 2013 at 4:29 pm
We made the rice, eggs, chard and salmon bowls that are featured in this month's magazine this evening - as a birthday dinner for my mother in law. What an absolutely wonderful meal. Good, healthy foods, plenty of them, and nothing that made you feel burdened afterwards. Thank you for sharing those recepies about how Nobu cooked at home with the rest of us. It was a pleasure to share the experience.
Posted by: Kate B. | March 2nd, 2013 at 8:21 pm
This looks really great, the food, the fish, the friendship.
Posted by: Cathie@reflective tape | March 3rd, 2013 at 1:15 am
Wow, that is a lot of fish! I can't imagine the smell... That tamagoyaki looked yummy, I'll have to try that if I'm ever blessed enough to visit Tokyo. They sell sake at our local Hy-Vee deli but I don't think I'm brave enough to try it. I doubt it's as good as what you can buy in Japan anyway.
Posted by: Rebekah | March 3rd, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Great photos of the fish market! Bet that was an amazing and delicious trip. I remember having black cod in miso at Nobu before it was available anywhere else - tremendous food!
Posted by: Diana Pappas | March 6th, 2013 at 10:09 pm
Very cool! What wonderful memories.
Posted by: Karen | March 10th, 2013 at 9:51 am