November Seasonal Japanese Seafood

Salmon roe, pulled out of its sac and simply marinated in the sweet soy sauce of Kyushu, is irresistible this time of year. We love it so much it is on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Crabs are also coming to market. Another highlight this time of year is fresh scallops and oysters, both best when raw.

Kawahagi may not be the most beautiful fish to look at, but when cut of its leathery skin, and served as sushi with its liver, it is heavenly.

Shirako, or milt, is often from cod fish, but Japanese chefs I speak with say that the best milt comes from fugu. Many people who try this love its creaminess and velvety texture. But, once you tell them what it is they sometimes change their mind. Here it is steamed and then served with a tart ponzu and grated daikon with chili.

Amadai  赤甘鯛  tilefish (Branchiostegus japonicas)                                       

Ankō 鮟鱇 monkfish (Lophiomus setigerus)　　　    　　　         　　

Asaba karei 浅羽鰈  rock sole (Pleuronectes mochigarei)                                 

Chidai   血鯛  crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)　　　 　              　　

 Hata はた grouper  (Epinephelus septemfasciatus)                                    

Hata hata 鰰 sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus)　　        　　　　　

Higedara ひげたらsnubnose brotula (Hoplobrotuda armata)　 　

Hi ika ひいか winter dwarf squid  (Nipponololig (Loliolus) japonica)     

Hirame 鮃 olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)　　           　　　　

Hotate 帆立貝 scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis)　　    　    　　　　　　　

Hon kamasu 本カマス barracuda　(Sphyraena pinguis)        　  　　

Hon kawahagi 本皮剥 thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)  　

Ibodai　疣鯛  Japanese butterfish (Psenopsis anomala)　             　　　　

Ise ebi 伊勢海老  Japanese spiny lobster (Panulirus japonicas)  　                

Ishi karei いしかれい Stone flounder (kareius bicoloratus)                                

Itoyori　イトヨリGolden threadfin bream (Nemipterus virgatus)         

Kanpachi  間八 amberjack (Seriola dumerili)              　　　      

Kou ika こういか cuttlefish (Sepia (Platysepia) esculenta)                      　

Kuro karei くろかれい black plaice (Pleuronectes obscurus)              

Kurumaebi 車海老   Japanese tiger prawn (Marsupenaeus japonicas)

Kaki 牡蠣 oyster (Crassostrea gigas)                                                         

Matara 真鱈 codfish (Gadus macrocephalus)　       　　            　　　　　

Masaba  真鯖   Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)             　　 　

Matsuba gani  松葉蟹 spiny crab (Hypothalassia armata)　         　

Mebachi maguro  目鉢鮪 bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)         

Medai  目鯛  butterfish (Hyperoglyphe japonica)                                       

Meita karei  めいたかれいfine spotted flounder (Pleuronichthys cornutus)  

Mekajiki  めかじき swordfish (Xiphias gladius)                      

Mongouika  もんごういか  cuttlefish (Sepia lycidas)　                        　　　　　　

Mutsu  むつgnomefish  (Scombrops boops)　　　　　      　　　　　

Nametagarei  婆鰈  slime flounder (Microstomus achne)　　 　　　　

Sawara  さわら Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius)

Sanma　秋刀魚  Pacific saury (Cololabis saira)     　　　　　　　　

Shiba ebi  芝海老  Shiba shrimp (Metapenaeus joyneri）  　　　　             

Shiro ika  白烏賊swordtip squid (Loligo (Photololigo) edulis) or kensaki ika　　　

Shirosake  白鮭   chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)　　            　　

Souda katsuo  宗田鰹bullet mackerel (Auxis rochei)                                  

Sujiko  筋子  chum salmon roe　　　　　　　　　　　　             　　　 　

Sukesou tara  助宗たら pollock（Theragra chalcogramma)　　　　     　　

Suma katsuo  すまかつお  black skipjack (Euthynnus affinis)        　

Surume ika  スルメイカ　Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus)   

Tairagai  平貝 penshell (Atrina (Servatrina) pectinata)            　　　　　

Wakasagi  若細魚 Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis)                        

 Warasa  ワラサ  yellowtail  (Seriola quinqueradiata)　　　　　 　   　　

Yoshikiri same  よしきりさめ blue shark (Prionace glauca)              

Watarigani  渡蟹   swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus)                     

Zuwaigani  頭矮蟹  snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio)

August Seasonal Japanese Seafood ８月旬の魚

Katsuo tataki

Katsuo sashimi topped with myoga, shiso, and garlic

Katsuo as done by chef Zaiyu Hasegawa at Den

Look for seafood from this list when eating out in Japan or in the supermarkets or at your fishmonger. Most of the seafood listed here you can enjoy as sushi or sashimi. At home we like to have tachiuo as sashimi with a bit of sesame oil and sea salt. Ayu is best salted and grilled. And while we don't cook hamo at home we look forward to having it out at restaurants, especially with a bainiku (umeboshi) dressing. At home we often have katsuo topped with lots of yakumi like shiso, myōga, and garlic then dress it with a soy sauce and sesame oil dressing. Katsuo can be bought raw or seared on the outside as tataki).

Ayu 鮎  sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis)

Dojou 泥鰌 loach (Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus)

Hamo  鱧 pike eel or pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus)

Hiramasa 平政 yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi)

Hoya  ほや sea squirt(Halocynthia roretzi)

Inada 鰍 young amberjack (or yellowtail) (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Stages of buri: wakashi, inada, warasa, buri

Indo maguro Southern Bluefin tuna　

Isaki 伊佐幾 chicken grunt (Parapristipoma trilineatum)

Kanpachi  間八 amberjack or yellowtail (Seriola dumerili)

Katsuo 鰹 skipjack tuna (or bonito) (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kensaki ika 剣先烏賊 swordtip squid (Loligo edulis)

Kihada maguro 黄肌鮪 yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)

Kisu 鱚 Japanese whiting (Sillago japonica)*or shirogisu

Kochi 鯒 bartail flathead (Platycephalus)

Koyari ika 小槍烏賊  baby spear squid (Loligo bleekeri)

Kuruma-ebi 車海老 Japanese tiger prawn (Penaeus (Melicertus) japonicus)

Ma-aji 真鯵 Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)

Ma-anago 真穴子 whitespotted conger (saltwater eel) (Conger myriaster)

Ma-iwashi 真鰯  Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Managatsuo 真名鰹 silver pomfret (Pampus punctatissimus)

Ma-tako 真蛸  common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

Nijimasu 虹鱒 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Shiira  しいら　鱪 dorado or mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)

Shima aji  島鯵 striped jack or white trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex)

Shinko (Konoshiro) 鰶 dotted gizzard shad (Konosirus punctatus)

Surumei ika するめいか Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus)

Suzuki すずき　鱸 Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus)

Tachiuo 太刀魚  cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)

Takabe たかべ yellow-striped butterfish (Labracoglossa argentiventris)

Unagi 鰻 Japanese freshwater eel  (Anguilla japonica)

Shirasu Pasta しらすパスタ

Yesterday's post was on ikura pasta. We were so happy with having pasta and Japanese ingredients that our next version was shirasu pasta. Shirasu are tiny anchovies that have been quickly blanched in salt water. Usually we have it on a bowl or rice as shirasudon. Or, sometimes we'll grate some daikon to make daikon oroshi and add the shirasu to it.

This pasta was simply some angel hair pasta with shirasu and extra virgin olive oil. Again, easy, quick, and delicious.

I would have liked to have added some pickled takana leaves or nozawa if I had some on hand to add some color. But this was a spur of the moment throw together dish and it wasn't necessary. This dish went very nice with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

You may also want to consider making an uni pasta.

November Seasonal Japanese Seafood

Autumn is a great time for Japanese seafood as a lot of the fish are rich with fat. This time of year we love sanma, both as sashimi, or simply salted and grilled. Katsuo done tataki-style, seared on the outside and rare on the inside, calls out for some shochu or nihonshu. And when it gets really cold, Shinji loves kanburi, or the winter buri (Japanese amberjack) rich with fat and as sashimi. 

This list of November seafood is short as I don't have a lot of time at the moment, but I do hope to update it later this month along with links to photo of the seafood.

Akagarei - flathead flounder (Hippoglossoides dubius)

Ara – rock cod (Nuphon spinosus)

Buri – Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Chidai – crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)

Ginsake – coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Hamadai – ruby snapper (Etelis coruscans)

Hokke – arabesque greenling (Pleurogrammus azonus)

Katsuo – bonito or skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kawahagi – thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)

Kurigani – helmet crab (Telmessus cheiragonus)

Medai – Japanese butterfish (Hyperoglyphe japonica)

Mishima Okoze – Japanese stargazer (Uranoscopus japonicus)

Mizudako – North Pacific giant octopus (Octopus dofleini)

Sanma – Pacific saury (Cololabis saira)

Shishamo – Japanese longfin smelt (Spirinchus lanceolatus)

Yanaginomai – yellow-body rockfish (Sebastes steindachneri)

Shijimi Soup

It's not always easy to have access to fresh seafood. Growing up in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, we had plenty of fish in the summer. But come winter the closest I would get to fish would be a Filet-O-Fish at McDonald's.

One good way to have a bit of seafood during the week is to stock up on some items like this shijimi su-pu (shijimi soup). Little corbicula clams with wakame in a clear broth. Simply boil with some hot water and it's a nice last minute addition to any meal. This pack cost 525 JPY for 20 servings. It tastes good and is great to have on hand. Easy ways to add more to the soup is to include soft tofu or green onions.

Inspiration from Jean-Georges

After reading this article about the soy-butter sauce skate at Mercer Kitchen this has become our back-up sauce for fish and we love it. If Jean-Georges' wife loves it it must be worth making at home once and we are now addicted.

Season a filet with a little bit of salt and pepper. Not too much salt as the soy sauce is salty. Saute the fish in a bit of oil until almost cooked through. Add some butter to the pan and cook until the butter turns a light brown. Turn off the heat and add some soy sauce to the pan.

Plate the fish and drizzle with the soy-butter sauce.

So far we have tried this with a variety of fish and it has always been a hit. This photo is of mekajiki (swordfish).