Shinjo no shiso-hasami-yaki / fried fishcake in perilla leaves

Shinjo or fluffy fishcakes sandwiched by perilla leaves are fried for a crispy outer crust and creamy inside texture.  Both shiso perilla and egoma perilla leaves work great.

1/2 of recipe:  137 calories; 10.0 g protein; 4.3 g fat; 12.1 g carbohydrate; 11.1 g net carbs; 232 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 0.7 g fiber

Hotate-shinjo to endomame no surinagashi / green pea soup with fish and scallop dumplings

Plump green peas in season make a cheerful chartreuse soup. While the soup is very pleasant by itself, fish and scallop dumplings broaden the spectrum of gentle taste.  Juicy and crispy fuki stalks work as a nice counter-punch in this small soup.

121 calories (1/2 of recipe); 12.0 g protein; 0.7 g fat; 14.6 g carbohydrate; 12.3 g net carbs; 298 mg sodium; 27 mg cholesterol; 2.3 g fiber

Tsumire to retasu no nimono / fish dumplings and lettuce simmered in broth

This resembles a nabe hot pot but is cooked in a stronger broth. Soft and fluffy tsumire fish dumplings crumble in your mouth, while lettuce gives some crispiness. As with any item made with surimi ground fish paste, these dumplings by themselves contain a relatively high amount of sodium, but the sodium is released into the broth while simmering, and you can comfortably enjoy the gentle taste tsumire offers -- one of the great advantages of nimono simmered dishes, where the broth is often left behind in the pot or untouched in bowls.

196 calories (1/2 of recipe); 12.6 g protein; 8.2 g fat; 14.6 g carbohydrate; 13.0 g net carbs; 250 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 79 mg cholesterol; 1.6 g fiber