As the waters become cooler the fish become rich with fat. We love sanma(Pacific saury) this time of year, both as sashimi, or simply salted and grilled. If there is a nice cup of nihonshuon the table, eating the guts of the sanmais also a treat. For miso soup a handful of shijimi(corbicula clams) into the pot brings lots of umami and flavor. A bowl asari (Japanese little neck clam) steamed in nihonshu is a perfect appetizer to dinner. While I always thought of hirame (halibut) and karei(flounder) as white fish and hence non-fatty that is not at all the case. These flatfish can take on a lot of fat - which you can actually see in the flesh. These are great as sashimi, or after a day or two we love to simmer until tender in nihonshu.
Ainame 鮎並 fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii) Aka garei 赤鰈flathead flounder (Hippoglossoides dubius) Amaebi 甘海老 sweet shrimp(Pandalus borealis) Ankou 鮟鱇 monkfish (Lophius litulon) Asari 浅蜊 Japanese little neck clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) Awabi 鮑 abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) Babagarei 婆鰈 slime flounder (Microstomus achne) Botan ebi ボタンエビBotan shrimp (Pandalus nipponesis) Chidai 血鯛 crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica) Hakkaku or tokubire 八角 sailfin poacher (Podothecus sachi) Hata hata鰰 sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus) Hirame 鮃 olive halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus) Hokkai ebi or hokkai shima ebi 北海海老 Hokkai shrimp (Pandalus latirostris) Hokke 𩸽arabesque greenling (Pleurogrammus azonus) Hokki gai (uba gai) 姥貝 hen clam (Pseudocardium sachalinense) Hon maguro (or kuromaguro) 黒鮪 bluefin tuna (Thunus thynnus) Hotate gai 帆立貝 Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) Ibodai 疣鯛 butterfish (Psenopsis anomala) Inada いなだ young amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata) Itoyoridai 糸縒鯛 golden threadfin-bream (Nemipterus virgatus)
Kaki 牡蠣oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Kamasu 大和叺barracuda (Sphyraena japonica) Katsuo 鰹 skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (Katsuwonus pelamis) Kegani 毛蟹 horsehair crab (Erimacrus isenbeckii) Kemushi kajika 毛虫鰍 sea raven or toubetsu kajika (Hemitripterus villosus) Kinki or Kichiji 黄血魚thornhead (Sebastolobus macrochir) Kinmedai 金目鯛 splendid alfonsino (Beryx splendens) Kurosoi 黒曹以 jacopever (Sebastes zonatusschlegeli) Madako 真蛸 octopus (Octopus vulgaris) Madara or tara 真鱈 Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) Magarei 真鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes herzensteini) Maguro 鮪 tuna (Thunus thynnus) Maiwashi or iwashi 真鰯 spotline sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) Mako garei真子鰈 marbled flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae) Masaba or saba 真鯖 Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus) Masu 鱒trout (there are many types of trout – see nijimasu, sakuramasu) Matara or tara 真鱈 cod (Gadus macrocephalus) Matsukawa garei or tantaka or takanoha 松皮鰈 barfin flounder (Verasper moseri) Meji maguro young Pacific bluefin tuna
Mizudako 水蛸 North Pacific giant octopus(Octopus dofleini) Muroaji 室鰺 Brown-striped mackerel scad (Decapterus muroadsi) Niji masu虹鱒rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Nishin 鰊 Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) Numagarei or wakagarei 沼鰈 starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) Sake 鮭 salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Sakura masu or yamame 桜鱒 cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou maso) Sanma 秋刀魚 Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) Sawara 鰆 Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) Shako 蝦蛄 mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria) Shiira 粃 mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) Shijimi 大和蜆corbicula clam (Corbicula japonica) Shirauo 白魚 icefish (Salangichthys microdon) Shishamo 柳葉魚 capelin (Spirinchus lanceolatus) Souhachi 宗八鰈 pointhead flounder (Cleishenes pinetorum) Suna garei砂鰈 sand flounder (Limanda punctatissima) Surumeika 鯣烏賊 Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) Tachiuo 太刀魚 cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus) Tarabagani 鱈場蟹 Alaska king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) Ugui 鯎 Japanese dace (Tribolodon Hakonensis) Unagi 鰻 Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) Wakasagi 若細魚 Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis) Warasa 鰤 Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)
