June Seasonal Japanese Seafood

June Seasonal Seafood

The arrival of ayu is a sign that summer has arrived. Simply salted and grilled is the most popular way of serving this tender-fleshed fish. Kawahagi is a funny looking fish. The skin is so thick, hence the name kawahagi, or leather jacket. We love this fish as sashimi. If we’re lucky, the fresh fish will have its liver, which we mix with ponzu and serve with the sashimi.

Katsuo simply seared on the edges, sliced thickly, and served with some soy sauce and garlic. Katsuo tataki is particularly nice if you can garnish it with fresh myoga. Karei is lovely when deep-fried whole, a dish called karei no kara-age.

As for octopus, which is one of my favorite seafood if cooked properly, there are so many recipes. Shinji and I visited an octopus-processing factory and the staff there suggested putting boiled octopus on top of Japanese curry. It’s so easy as boiled octopus is often sold in Japanese supermarkets. And, it’s yummy.

Suzuki is a nice fish to sauté meuniere style. Tobiuo we love as sashimi. As for saba, there are so many different preparations, including simmered in miso, salted and grilled, deep-fried, or sautéed.

If you are in Tokyo, be sure to visit Tamai in Nihonbashi, near Takashimaya, for anago which is in season now.

And, while wakame is not a seafood, this sea vegetable is in season now. If you have the opportunity to have some you are in for a treat to enjoy its texture and flavor this time of year.

If you click on the Japanese name of the seafood you should be directed to a link with a photo.

Ainame鮎並 fat greenling(Hexagrammos otakii)

Aji鰺Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)

Aka isaki 赤伊佐幾 Schlegel's red bass (Caprodon schlegelii)

Akashita birame 赤舌鮃  red-tongued sole (Cynoglossus joyneri)

Anago  穴子 conger eels (Conger myriaster)

Aodai 青鯛Blue fusiller  (Paracaesio caeruleus (Katayama))

Aori ika 障泥烏賊big fin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana)

Awabi 鮑  abalone (Haliotis (Nordotis) discus discus)

Ayu鮎 sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis)

Bai 貝 Japanese ivory shell  (Balylonia japonica)

Benisake べにさけ　紅鮭 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Buri鰤Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Hamo  鱧 pike eel or pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus)

Hanafuedai - 花笛鯛   (Pristipomoidae argrogrammicus)

Horagai or boushuubora  房州法螺  Japanese triton (Charonia lampas sauliae)

Hoya 海鞘 sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi)

Isaki 伊佐幾 chicken grunt  (Parapristipoma trilineatum)

Ishimochi- イシモチ  honnibe croaker (Nibea mitsukurii)

Iwana -    (Salvelinus leucomaenis pluvius)

Iwashi鰯  spotline sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Jindou ika 神頭烏賊 Japanese dwarf squid (Loliolus (Nipponololig) japonica)

Kamasu 叺barracuda (Sphyraena japonica)

Kanpachi  間八 amberjack or yellowtail (Seriola dumerili)

Karei  鰈littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Katsuo鰹skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kawahagi 皮剥 thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)

Kensaki ika 剣先烏賊 swordtip squid (Loligo edulis)

Kibinago黍魚子banded blue sprat (Spratelloides gracilis)

Kihada maguro 黄肌鮪yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)

Kijihata or akahata 雉子羽太  redspotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara)

Kisu or shirogisu 鱚 Japanese whiting (Sillago japonica)

Kochi 鯒 bartail flathead (Platycephalus)

Konoshiroor shinko 鰶dotted gizzard shad (Konosirus punctatus)

Kuro maguro 黒鮪 bluefin tuna (Thunus thynnus)

Kurumaebi車海老Japanese tiger prawn(Penaeus (Melicertus) japonicus)

Madaior tai 真鯛seabream (Pagurus major)

Makogarei 真子鰈 marbled sole (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Oni okoze  鬼虎魚spiny devilfish (Inimicus japonicus)

Ooasari 蜊蝦夷忘 Japanese littleneck clam (Callista berevisiphonata)

Saba鯖Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Sazae栄螺horned turban shell (Turbo cornutus)

Shijimi– 大和蜆corbicula clams or water clams (Corbicula japonica)

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

Shira ebi 白海老 glass shrimp (Pasiphaea japonica)

Suzuki 鱸  Japanese sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus)

Tako 蛸  common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

Tobiuo 飛魚 Japanese flying fish (Cypselurus agoo agoo)

Torigai 鳥貝 heart clam(Fulvia mutica)

Uchimurasaki ウチムラサキ  butter clam (Saxidomus purpurata)

Uni –  sea urchin

Wakame

Yamameヤマメcherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou maso)

Taberu Rayu Two

Taberu Rayu is at every supermarket I visit in Japan. What started as one product by one company has exploded to many variations. One of the most interesting ones I have come across is the basic taberu rayu without the oil.

As you can see by looking inside the jar, it's very different from the original version. The SB Foods website says that it is 20% less calories and 40% less fat than the original version.

Here it is simply on rice. We love it. Much better than the oily version which makes the rice greasy and hard to eat. The SB Foods website offers many recipe ideas for this product. Even if you don't read Japanese you'll be able to sort out several of the recipes just from the photos.

Also see:

Taberu Rayu

Salmon Pilaf

Putting grilled salmon into the rice pot is one of our favorite takikomigohan recipes. Especially when we have some ikura or sujiko in the house. But I wanted a change-up on our our standard salmon takikomigohan. This recipe is great if you find small bits and pieces of salmon for sale at your fishmonger.

In this version, I grilled the salmon and added it to the rice pot as usual (see recipe above). And, after the rice was cooked, flaked the salmon, removed any bones and the skin and returned the flaked salmon to the rice pot. This time I threw in some butter, salt, and pepper and incorporated the salmon into the rice. Easy and something that we'll make again and again.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms

Who doesn't love bacon? While it may not be a traditional Japanese ingredient, bacon is used from time to time in the Japanese kitchen. This enoki bacon maki is a popular okazu or side dish. Best of all, it is good whether hot or at room temperature. These usually get eaten up quickly, so if I want to use some for a bento it's best to save a few.

I can't be bothered with toothpicks to secure them shut. So instead I use longer slices of bacon and wrap up the bunches of enoki. Just saute until the bacon is cooked and you have a nice addition to any dinner. 

Gotta Get - Taberu Shoyu

The popularity of taberu rayu has been a great food trend to observe. First was to see all of the copycat versions imitating the original taberu rayu. Now, there are many new products that are similar in style but made from totally different ingredients. One of our new favorites is this Saku Saku Taberu Kobashi Shoyu from Kikkoman.

We love it over seafood, like this scallops.

The oil based condiment is made with freeze-dried soy sauce flakes, fried garlic, fried onions, sesame seeds, almonds, and more spices. Over rice it was good but we found it a bit oily. The bottle suggests putting it over boiled vegetables or stir-fries. We also had it over steamed greens which was better than the rice. However, our favorite is over sake-steamed fish. The contrast of the crunchy condiment and the juicy, flakey cod was perfect. Seasoning also a perfect match.

Kikkoman has two other similar products. Taberu Shoyu Yuzu-fumi which is seasoned with yuzu and a Taberu Shoyu Torigara Su-pu Aji that is flavored with chicken soup.

It is sold in a glass jar. 105 grams for 350 JPY.

May Seasonal Japanese Seafood

May Japanese Seasonal Seafood

Many of the seafood from March are still in season in April. The cold waters still bring fish rich with fat that shines in sashimi or is nice for grilling. Asari clams are great for making into a quick vongole style pasta. Nishin can be salted and grilled. And perhaps my favorite this time of year is katsuo simply seared on the edges, sliced thickly, and served with some soy sauce and garlic. Katsuo tataki is particularly nice if you can garnish it with fresh myoga.

Hotate we like as sashimi or cooked meuniere style. Takikomigohan of scallops is also a nice change-up. Mebaru is a light, white fish that is nice as himono. Don’t throw away the head of tai as it is lovely when salted and grilled. Shinji also likes to keep the bones of tai after he has filleted the fish to make a broth. Simply make some kombu dashi, add the bones and simmer for about ten minutes. A delicate broth, but rich with the umami from the fish bones and kombu.

As for octopus, which is one of my favorite seafood if cooked properly, there are so many recipes. Shinji and I visited an octopus processing factory and the staff there suggested putting boiled octopus on top of Japanese curry. It’s so easy as boiled octopus is often sold in Japanese supermarkets. And, it’s yummy.

If you are in Tokyo, be sure to visit Tamai in Nihonbashi, near Takashimaya, for anago which is in season now.

If you click on the Japanese name of the seafood you should be directed to a link with a photo.

Aji-  鰺 Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)

Anago -  穴子conger eels (Conger myriaster)

Aori ika - 障泥烏賊 big fin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana)

Awabi- 鮑  abalone (Haliotis (Nordotis) discus discus)

Bai - 貝 Japanese ivory shell  (Balylonia japonica)

Benisake べにさけ　紅鮭sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Chidai-   血鯛  crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)

Haze - 真鯊 spiny goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus)

Hiramasa – 平政 yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi)

Honmaguro - 本鮪bluefin tuna (Thunus thynnus)

* also called kuromaguro

Houki hata - 箒羽太 comet grouper (Epinephelus morrhua)

Hotaru ika 蛍烏賊擬firefly squid (Enoploteuthis chunii)

Hotate - 帆立貝 scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis)

Hoya - ほや sea squirt(Halocynthia roretzi)

Iidako 飯蛸 ocellated octopus (Octopus ocellatus)

Isaki - 伊佐幾 chicken grunt  (Parapristipoma trilineatum)

Ishidai - 石鯛  barred knifejaw (Oplegnathus fasciatus)

Ishimochi- イシモチ nibe croaker (Nibea mitsukurii)

Iwashi- 鰯  spotline sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Jindou ika - 神頭烏賊 Japanese dwarf squid (Loliolus (Nipponololig) japonica)

Karei – 鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

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

Kensaki ika - 剣先烏賊 swordtip squid (Loligo edulis)

Kibinago- 黍魚子banded blue sprat (Spratelloides gracilis)

Kisu - 鱚  Japanese whiting (Sillago japonica)

 *or shirogisu

Korodai - 胡廬鯛   painted sweetlips (Diagramma pictum)

Kurozako ebi - 黒雑魚海老 kuro shrimp (Argis lar)

Maaji まあじ　真鯵Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)

Madai or tai - 真鯛 seabream (Pagurus major)

Makogarei 真子鰈 marbled sole (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Managatsuo 真名鰹 silver pomfret (Pampus punctatissimus)

Mebachi maguro 目撥鮪 bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

Mebaru - 目張 black rockfish (Sebastes inermis)

Mugi ika - 麦いか young and small surumeika in spring  (Todarodes pacificus)

Nishin- 鰊Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

Ooasari - 蜊蝦夷忘 Japanese littleneck clam (Callista berevisiphonata)

Saragai - 皿貝 Northern great tellin (Megangulus venulosa)

Sawara - 鰆 Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius)

Sayori 針魚  halfbeak (Hyporhamphus sajori)

Sazae - サザエ   turban wreath shell (Turbo cornutus)

Shima ebi – 島海老pandalid shrimp (Pandalopsis japonica)

Shima isaki - 縞鶏魚 sharpnose tigerfish (Rhyncopelate Oxyhynchus)

Shira ebi - 白海老 glass shrimp (Pasiphaea japonica)

Shiro ika - 白いか    swordtip squid (Loligo (Photololigo) edulis)

 * or kensaki ika

Tako - 蛸  common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

Tobiuo - 飛魚 Japanese flying fish (Cypselurus agoo agoo)

Torigai - 鳥貝 heart clam(Fulvia mutica)

Uni –  sea urchin

Yamame - ヤマメ cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou maso)

Ika Ninjin from Kibo by Elizabeth Andoh

Elizabeth Andoh's newest cookbook, Kibo, documents recipes from Japan's Tohoku region which was most affected by the triple calamity of 3/11. Some of the recipes are dishes that we often make at home. And some are new and that always means an adventure in the kitchen. We are always looking for new ways to include seafood in our diet so the Ika Ninjin (Squid Jerky and Carrot Strips) dish immediately caught our attention.

As Elizabeth explains in her well-detailed book, this dish from Fukushima is often included as part of the osechi New Year's cuisine as well as during the fall. It uses surume ika which is a dried squid that is sold in many Asian supermarkets overseas. Growing up my brother and I often chewed away at surume ika while watching television. My husband also likes it so it is something that is often in our kitchen. Along with carrots and a simple marinade of soy sauce, dark brown sugar, sake, rice vinegar, and togarashi. I left out the togarashi as I wanted to share this with friends who have kids.

We love the dish and when I brought some over to my friend's house she commented that it reminded her of matsumae zuke, a similar looking and tasting dish that includes kombu.


I won't include the recipe here as I hope many of you will pick up Elizabeth's eBook. It is only US $3.99 and part of the proceeds will go to a charity in Tohoku. It's a great book and as food lovers of Japan we can make a small contribution by purchasing the book and then by cooking up some of the food from Tohoku. Even better, pick up some Tohoku sake and have a few friends over to share some of the dishes in the eBook.