The custardy bite in Aomori’s cod soup

The head and bones give Aomori’s jappa-jiru (じゃっぱ汁) a deep fish flavor. The white folds next to the green onion are much milder. That’s shirako, the soft roe from a male cod, also called tatsu (たつ) in Aomori City. It isn’t in every bowl. Some people like the taste and still don’t like the feel of it. Shirako tempura starts with a crunch of batter. In the soup you go straight to that custardy bite.