Matsumaezuke — Hokkaido pickled squid, kelp and herring roe

Matsumaezuke (松前漬け) is a traditional preserved dish from Hokkaido made by marinating kazunoko (herring roe), surume (dried squid) and kombu (kelp) in a soy-based seasoning. It is served as a salty, chewy condiment or relish and is associated with the Matsumae domain area on southern Hokkaido.

Taste and texture

The character of Matsumaezuke comes from a contrast of textures and concentrated umami. Dried squid and herring roe provide a firm, chewy bite; the kelp contributes a distinctive viscous slip that acts as an accent. The overall flavour is briny and soy-sweet when a sweeter soy or soy–mirin mix is used for the marinade. Traditional descriptions call it a delicacy that pairs well both with rice and as an accompaniment to alcohol.

Core ingredients and how they work

• Kazunoko (herring roe): a briny, granular component that gives pops of texture when chewed. Its use in Matsumaezuke became conspicuous after the late 1920s.
• Surume (dried squid): supplies concentrated marine umami and a resilient chew once lightly rehydrated.
• Kombu (kelp): provides the slippery, viscous element and a deep kelp umami; makonbu has traditionally been used, while some modern recipes mix in gagome kombu to increase the slimy accent.

The seasoning is usually a sweetened soy base or a mixture of soy and mirin. Some descriptions specify a seasoning liquid made from sake, soy sauce and mirin that is brought to the boil and then cooled before use.

How traditional Matsumaezuke is prepared

Recipes published for home use follow a straightforward sequence that preserves and develops the ingredients’ flavours:

1. Kazunoko is soaked from the night before in a dilute salt water (a light brine).
2. Dried surume and kombu are kept in their dry state, wiped with a damp cloth—often kitchen paper dampened with sake—to remove surface dust, and then cut into thin strips with kitchen scissors. Kazunoko is torn into small pieces; carrot, when used, is julienned.
3. The surume is softened a little, then the prepared ingredients are combined and placed into seasoning liquid (typically sake, soy sauce and mirin that have been boiled and cooled).
4. The mixture is refrigerated and stirred a few times each day; it becomes ready to eat in roughly three days.

Some households and recipes include carrot or daikon; other references even mention marinating sea bream together with the usual ingredients. Ready-made, pre-cut “Matsumaezuke sets”—bundles of finely shredded surume and kombu—are sold for convenience.

There are also quick-pickle methods that boil the dried ingredients to speed the process, but those recipes reduce the kombu’s viscous quality and draw out some of the surume’s flavour; by description they do not produce the same taste as the traditional method. Some commercial items are made by similar rapid methods and are therefore comparable but not identical to the original style.

Variations, commercial forms and mid-20th-century shifts

Early versions consisted mainly of surume and kombu. A variant that included kazunoko first appeared around Showa 4 (1929). One Hakodate retailer, Yamagataya, states that it converted a local salt‑pickled, one‑night home preparation into a soy‑based commercial product and launched it in Showa 13 (1938); that commercialization is credited with spreading the name more widely.

In the mid-1950s a series of poor herring catches made kazunoko an expensive ingredient. Producers and home cooks therefore increased the proportion of surume and kombu, and surume-plus-kombu versions became more common. At the same time the seasoning shifted toward soy and soy‑based blended seasonings, reflecting broader taste changes.

Pre-cut ingredient kits and ready-to-use products are now commonplace; these simplify the preparation by supplying shredded surume and kombu ready for marinating.

History and naming

The documentary record for Matsumaezuke is limited and several origin traditions are recorded. One account cited in a government planning-and-survey publication links the dish to Japanese settlers in the Matsumae domain when that domain administered Ezo (the historic name for Hokkaido): surume and kombu were local products and soy sauce began to be supplied by Kitamaebune trading ships, leading to the creation of soy‑marinated preserved foods probably in the Kansei era (1789–1801).

Another tradition traces a different route: when the Matsumae domain was reassigned in 1807 to the Yanagawa domain in Mutsu Province’s Date District (present‑day Date City, Fukushima Prefecture), retainers encountered the local pickled dish ika‑ninjin (thin sliced surume with carrot in soy). After the domain returned to Ezo in 1821, it is said they added local kombu to that style and this contributed to what became Matsumaezuke.

During the Edo period the dish was not called “Matsumaezuke”; earlier names included terms such as “kobuika” or “ika no shoyu-zuke”. The name “Matsumaezuke” was coined in the Showa period. Earlier publications also described the item as a prized local delicacy of the Matsumae domain enjoyed by successive feudal lords.

FAQ

What are the principal ingredients of Matsumaezuke?

Herring roe (kazunoko), dried squid (surume) and kelp (kombu) marinated in a soy-based seasoning.

Where is Matsumaezuke associated with?

It is a local dish associated with the Matsumae domain area (present-day Matsumae Town, Matsumae District, Hokkaido).

When did a kazunoko-containing variety appear?

A version with kazunoko appeared around Showa 4 (1929).

How long does a traditional home-made Matsumaezuke take before it can be eaten?

Stored refrigerated and stirred a few times each day, it can be eaten in about three days.