Fish Katsu

This is a local fish paste specialty cherished in Tokushima. Fish paste is mixed with curry powder and spices, breaded, and deep fried into a flat cutlet. Despite being called katsu, the star is fish rather than meat, and it is loved as a soul food of the prefecture.

Fish katsu is not a meat fry but is classified as a kind of fish paste product. The leading account is that a fishcake shop in Komatsushima City first sold it soon after the war, and today there are many makers in Tokushima City and elsewhere. In eastern Tokushima, katsu often refers to this fish katsu, and pork cutlets are pointedly called tonkatsu to distinguish them, a sign of how deeply rooted it is locally.

Highlights

The faint aroma of curry and its spicy flavor whet the appetite. Crisp outside and fluffy inside, it is perfect eaten as is, tucked into bread, or served as a side dish or snack. Its everyday accessibility as an easy to buy item is also part of the appeal. Beyond squeezing sudachi over it or adding a dash of soy sauce, it is enjoyed in many ways, such as on curry rice or grilled on okonomiyaki as a katsu-tama.

Enjoying the Seasons

It is a standard flavor to enjoy year round. In summer it makes a light meal eaten chilled, and in winter reheating it and adding sauce is delicious too. It has long been cherished as a side dish for sports day and outing lunch boxes.

Access and Basic Information

It can be easily bought at supermarkets, fish paste shops, and markets in Tokushima City. It lines grocery stores across the prefecture, and at shops serving it freshly fried you can enjoy it piping hot.

A Quick Tip

It is plenty tasty on its own, but a little sauce brings out the flavor. Tucking it into bread for a cutlet sandwich style is also a familiar local way to eat it.

Practical Travel Notes

It is a casual local specialty available for around a hundred yen and up per piece at supermarkets and fish paste shops. Because it keeps reasonably well even at room temperature, it suits both a little snacking on the go and taking home as a souvenir. It is easy to find at product corners around Tokushima Station and at roadside stations, where you can buy several at once. It can be eaten as is, but a light reheating brings out its fluffy texture even more. If taking it home, having a cold pack added is reassuring. Enjoying how the flavor changes with your preferred condiment, such as sudachi, soy sauce, or sauce, is a charm unique to this local taste.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, from a few hundred yen a piece
• Where to eat it: Fish-paste makers, supermarkets and souvenir shops around Tokushima Prefecture
• Best time of day: Lunch or dinner; good as a snack, with a drink, or in a sandwich
• Avoiding the crowds: An easy-to-buy staple, though popular shops sell out early
• Combine it with: Eating it in a bread roll, enjoying it with local sake, a tour of Tokushima's streets and Awa Odori

📚 Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Tokushima Prefecture and information published by the individual shops. Prices, menus and seasonal availability are subject to change, so please check each shop's official information for details.