Spring Fish

Around 100 species worldwide, with about 10 species found in Japan.

Nocturnal, it hides under rocks or in crevices during the day.

Press the center of the flesh; a good one barely moves. Limp, sagging ones are no good.

5–20 cm

Kuro abalone, megai abalone, Ezo abalone, tokobushi (small abalone)

Sashimi, grilled, steamed, simmered, or Western-style

It lives on the sandy-muddy bottom from the continental shelf to the upper continental slope, spreading its pectoral fins to glide across the seabed.

It makes a croaking sound by contracting its swim bladder.

The body is a pale crimson, and its large pectoral fins are a vivid cobalt blue.

30–40 cm

Sashimi, simmered, grilled, deep-fried, or Western-style

Squid eaten in Japan fall into four families: cuttlefish, spear squid, neon flying squid, and firefly squid.

Many kinds are edible, and nearly the whole body is used except for the cartilage and beak.

Most kinds are said to live only about a year.

Choose ones with clear, black eyes

25 cm or more

Japanese flying squid, spear squid, golden cuttlefish, bigfin reef squid, swordtip squid, neon flying squid, firefly squid

Sashimi, simmered, grilled, deep-fried, or Western-style

Covered with a grayish-yellow shell skin. The shell is soft, so it can be cracked open and the meat easily removed.

Once the slime is removed and the innards are properly cleaned, bai-shellfish sashimi has a pleasant texture and a sweet, delicious taste.

5 cm

Sashimi, steamed in sake, or simmered

There are about 1,000 species.

Among those landed at Nakaminato, the "hira-tsume crab" (also called ecchi crab) is especially tasty. It is named for the H-shaped hollow on its shell.

Red king crab is found in eastern Hokkaido, the southwestern Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Alaskan coast.

Snow crab ranges from the Sea of Japan and Hokkaido to Alaska and the west coast of North America. In Japan, the "matsuba crab" of the San'in region and the "echizen crab" caught off Fukui are famous.

Choose ones with all claws and legs intact that feel heavy for their size.

Red king crab, snow crab, hair crab, swimming crab, Shanghai (mitten) crab

In spring, the lean, light-tasting "first bonito" (hatsu-gatsuo); in autumn, the rich, fatty "returning bonito" (modori-gatsuo) — enjoyable twice a year. Returning bonito has about 10 times the fat of first bonito!

It migrates mainly in the open ocean in large schools, and has a habit of swimming alongside large whales and sharks.

The stripes on its belly are not clearly visible while it is alive.

There is even a classic haiku praising its flavor, showing it has long been considered delicious.

Choose ones with clear belly stripes and gills of a vivid red.

50–120 cm (40–65 cm is typical)

Sashimi, seared tataki, or simmered *Also made into katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) *Usually eaten with ginger rather than wasabi, and sometimes with garlic (grated or sliced).

There are about 140 species of horse mackerel and relatives worldwide.

They form large schools from the coast to offshore waters.

In Japan they are an important food fish, caught in large quantities by many methods such as set nets, purse seines, drag nets, gill nets, and line fishing.

Choose ones with clear, black eyes and firm flesh.

20–50 cm

Japanese horse mackerel, brownstriped mackerel scad, yellowtail horse mackerel, kusaya-moro, slender scad

Sashimi, grilled, dried, deep-fried, or simmered

It lives in schools near the surface close to shore.

A long, slender lower jaw is its trademark, with a vermilion tip.

It is treated as a high-grade white-fleshed fish.

A silvery, shining body is proof of freshness. If the belly sags and turns brownish when opened, the fish is old.

40 cm

Sashimi, grilled, dried, deep-fried, or Western-style

A general term for the larvae and juveniles of various fish; the young of sardine relatives are called "shirasu." They are eaten raw, or boiled in salt water to make kama-age (freshly boiled) or dried whitebait.

2–3 cm

Raw, or boiled and dried

Rich in variety. Worthy of the title "king of fish," it is considered auspicious and often appears at celebratory occasions.

During spawning season, the females are also called "cherry-blossom sea bream" (sakura-dai).

Red sea bream (madai) and crimson sea bream (chidai) look alike in their red color; to tell them apart, madai has a black-edged tail fin, while chidai does not.

The black sea bream (kurodai) closely resembles madai, looking like a blackened version of it. It is also called "chinu."

A mild white flesh with rich umami; the firm flesh is delicious cooked any way.

Fresh ones have vivid blue spots.

Choose ones with firm scales.

20–100 cm

Red sea bream, crimson sea bream, black sea bream, yellowback sea bream

Sashimi, grilled, steamed, simmered, or Western-style