Asari clams for miso soup
Asari miso soup
April 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. Grilling
salted fish heads of buri or tai is quick and simple and the perfect accompaniment to sake or shochu.
Bitesize tiny hotaru ika can be quickly blanched and then served with a sweet and vinegary sumiso dressing. 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. Hirame is lovely as sashimi. If we have leftover hirame sashimi Shinji likes to cure it in kombu overnight at
kombujime hirame. The texture changes as the umami is soaked in from the kombu to the hirame.
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. While tachiuo may look intimidating in the market, it is a delicate fish that can be grilled
meuniere-style. And, for the perfect sake snack in spring, I love
deep-fried wakasagi.
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)
Akagai –
赤貝 ark shell (
Scapharca broughtonii)
Amadai -
赤甘鯛 tilefish (
Branchiostegus japonicus)
Aori ika -
障泥烏賊 big fin reef squid (
Sepioteuthis lessoniana)
Asari -
浅利 Japanese littleneck clams (
Ruditapes philippinarum)
Botan ebi – see Toyama ebi below
Buri–
鰤Japanese amberjack (
Seriola quinqueradiata)
Chidai-
血鯛 crimson sea bream (
Evynnis japonica)
Hamaguri -
浜栗 common Orient clam (
Meretrix lusoria)
Hatsu gatsuo or katsuo -
鰹 skipjack tuna (
Katsuwonus pelamis)
Hirame -
鮃 olive flounder (
Paralichthys olivaceus)
Hotaru ika -
蛍烏賊擬 firefly squid
(
Enoploteuthis chunii)
Hotate -
帆立貝 scallops (
Patinopecten yessoensis)
Iidako -
飯蛸 ocellated octopus (
Octopus ocellatus)
Isaki -
伊佐幾 chicken grunt
(
Parapristipoma trilineatum)
Jindou ika -
神頭烏賊 Japanese dwarf squid (
Loliolus (Nipponololig) japonica)
Kaki –
牡蠣 oyster (
Crassostrea gigas)
Karei –
鰈 littlemouth flounder (
Pleuronectes yokohamae)
Kasago -
笠子 scorpion fish (
Sebastiscus marmoratus)
Katsuo-
鰹 skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (
Katsuwonus pelamis)
Kibinago-
黍魚子banded blue sprat (
Spratelloides gracilis)
Kinmedai–
金目鯛 splendid alfonsino (
Beryx splendens)
Kohada-
小鰭gizzard shad (
Konosirus pumctatus)
Madai or tai -
真鯛 seabream
(Pagurus major)
Makogarei -
真子鰈 marbled sole (
Pleuronectes yokohamae)
Managatsuo -
真名鰹 silver pomfret (
Pampus punctatissimus)
Mebaru -
目張 black rockfish (
Sebastes inermis)
Mirugai -
海松食 geoduck (
Tresus keenae)
Nijimasu -
虹鱒 rainbow trout (
Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Nishin-
鰊Pacific herring (
Clupea pallasii)
Ooasari -
蜊蝦夷忘 Japanese littleneck clam (
Callista berevisiphonata)
Saba–
鯖Pacific mackerel (
Scomber japonicus)
Sakuradai –
桜鯛 cherry anthias
(
Sacura margaritacea)
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)
Shirouo -
素魚 ice goby (
Leucopsarion petersii)
Tachiuo -
太刀魚 cutlassfish (
Trichiurus lepturus)
Tairagai -
平貝 pen shell or fan shell (
Atrina (Servatrina) pectinata)
Tobiuo -
飛魚 Japanese flying fish (
Cypselurus agoo agoo)
Torigai -
鳥貝 heart clam (
Fulvia mutica)
Toyama ebi or botan ebi –
富山海老humpback shrimp (
Pandalus hypsinotus)
Wakasagi-
若細魚Japanese smelt
(
Hypomesus nipponensis)
Yamame -
ヤマメ cherry salmon (
Oncorhynchus masou maso)
Yari ika - 槍烏賊 spear squid (Loligo (Heterololigo) bleekeri)
