Hot-Stone Fish Stew

I first sampled this unusual dish at a traditional inn in Wajima, a city at the tip of the Noto Peninsula, which juts dramatically out into the Sea of Japan. Wajima is known for its exquisite lacquerware, and many of the plates used in serving the meal that day were lacquered wood.

But this grand bubbling pot was quite different. A huge sturdy ceramic bowl was brought to the table, filled with lightly grilled miniature sand dabs, slivers of daikon radish, bunches of bright gr