Midsummer in Ballard: Migaku’s July 2026 Sushi Kaiseki

By July, the long northern light lingers over Ballard well into the evening, and the season turns toward the rivers and the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest. In the Japanese culinary calendar, midsummer belongs to ayu pulled from clear streams and to eel grilled over coals — flavors that carry both the heat of the season and the cool relief of shade. This month’s Sushi Kaiseki Course at Migaku is built around that contrast, moving between dishes that cool and dishes that quietly warm.

At the counter in Ballard, Chef Migaku Inaba composes each course by hand. A recipient of Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award, he works with a restraint that lets each ingredient speak for itself. Nothing on the plate is incidental — a single pepper, a spoonful of sweet beans, a slick of grated yuzu, each placed to balance the whole.

The July Sushi Kaiseki opens with a cooling appetizer of eight small preparations, then moves through grilled black cod, a clear crab-and-corn soup, and a delicate egg custard before arriving at eight pieces of sushi. A course of chilled A5 wagyu and a frozen nougat bring the meal to its close. What follows is a walk through the season, course by course.

   The opening course gathers eight small dishes on a single plate, each meant to be taken slowly as the meal finds its rhythm:

Steamed Abalone

— Gently cooked until tender and quietly briny.

Hisui Eggplant

— Peeled and chilled to a translucent, jade-green softness.

Tōyama Shrimp

— Paired with sweet red Manganji pepper.

Octopus

— Simmered slowly until it gives way at the first bite.

Ayu

— The river sweetfish of summer, cooked confit until rich and soft.

Charcoal-Grilled Eel

— Glazed in the kabayaki style, set against sweet uguisu beans.

Cucumber and White Onion

— Dressed in a nutty sesame miso.

White & Black Milk Sesame Tofu

— A smooth, tofu-style preparation that carries the plate to its close.

Black Cod Marinated in Hakkaisan Daiginjo

For the grilled course, Chef Inaba marinates black cod in Hakkaisan Daiginjo, a refined sake from Niigata, then grills it until the surface turns golden and the flesh stays silken. A length of kombu, simmered until tender, rests alongside and lends a deep note of the sea. The sake’s quiet sweetness lingers without ever overwhelming the fish.

Snow Crab and Corn Shinjo

The soup course centers on a shinjo — a light, steamed dumpling — of snow crab and summer corn, set in a clear, carefully drawn dashi. Green beans add a fresh, grassy snap, and a thread of yuzu zest lifts the broth at the finish. It is a restorative course, the kind meant to be sipped slowly from the bowl.

Chawanmushi with Rock Mozuku and Ginger

A savory steamed egg custard arrives next, silken and barely set, its surface pooled with a ginger-scented sauce and a tangle of iwa-mozuku — a fine seaweed prized for its delicate, slippery texture. A touch of yuzu keeps the dish bright. It is a study in restraint, warm and gently comforting.

A5 Wagyu Striploin, Chilled Shabu-Shabu

Though it belongs to the simmered course, this dish answers the heat of midsummer. Thin slices of A5 wagyu striploin are passed briefly through hot broth in the shabu-shabu manner, then chilled until the marbling sets to a soft, cool richness. Fine julienned vegetables and a grated-yuzu ponzu cut cleanly through the beef. It is indulgence served light.

At the heart of the Sushi Kaiseki Course, Chef Inaba presents eight pieces, shaped one by one at the counter:

Otoro (Fatty Bluefin Tuna)

— The richest cut of bluefin tuna, marbled and slow to melt.

Ishidai (Striped Beakfish)

— Firm and clean on the palate.

Aji (Horse Mackerel)

— Bright and lightly oily.

King Salmon

— Silken and full in flavor.

Aori-Ika (Bigfin Reef Squid)

— Sweet and tender with the faintest snap.

Kamasu (Barracuda)

— Soft and mild beneath a delicate skin.

Hotate (Scallop)

— Sweet and faintly of the sea.

Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin

— Crowned with a measure of sea urchin — a single bite of layered sweetness and brine.

The selection shifts with each day’s catch. In midsummer it leans toward the lean, clean-flavored fish that suit the season’s appetite, before closing on the indulgent note of botan shrimp and uni.

A single sweet brings the evening to a quiet close:

Nougat Glacé

— A frozen nougat of toasted nuts and honey, sliced cool to bring the meal to a gentle, restrained close.

Migaku’s July Sushi Kaiseki Course is served for a limited season at the counter in Ballard, with two seatings each evening, at 5:00 and 7:30. Seating is intimate and each course is prepared to order, so the experience rewards an unhurried evening.

Reservations for parties of two to six are available exclusively through OpenTable. To join Chef Inaba for this month’s Sushi Kaiseki, reserve your table for July at Migaku Seattle.