uni
uni pasta
spring sashimi
kinmedai sushi
madai carpaccio
Saikyo miso marinated honmasu
The cherry blossoms have peaked in Tokyo as the weather has warmed up. This time of year we are seeing the last of the creamy shirako (milt) that we love so much as well as many fish eggs. The nabé hot pot is put on the higher shelf in the kitchen as we are not using it a few times a week as we were just last month. Being married to a Japanese fishmonger we eat a lot of seafood, from our breakfasts, usually with a grilled fish like a salted salmon or a himono (salted and air-dried fish) and seasonal sashimi at dinner. Here are some of our favorite dishes this time of year followed by a list of Japanese seasonal seafood you'll come across if visiting Japan in April.
There is so much to love about Japanese seafood in spring. In particular, there is a a pink-fleshed kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) that has a supple texture which is spectacular as sashimi or sushi. If you are lucky the sushi chef will just sear it to bring out a unique texture and aroma. Kinmedai is also often served as nitsuké, simmered in a sweet soy broth until just cooked through. In Japan, look for kinmedai from the port of Choshi in Chiba as it is line-caught and harvested in shallow waters so it is rich with fat.
Uni on its own may be hard for some to swallow, but once it is cooked with garlic, olive oil, and tomato paste and topped over pasta it becomes a luxurious lunch. A very easy dish that anyone can whip up in minutes with this recipe. Katsuo is in season in the spring and then again in autumn. This time of year it is lean, while in fall it is rich with fat. We love it this time of year as sashimi.
Madai (sea bream) is available all-year long as it is a commonly farmed fish. But, this time of year we can get wild madai that has a better texture than the farmed fish which can be flabby. We love the wild madai for a simple carpaccio (above) topped with shiso, myōga, benitadé, and chives. Myōga is in the ginger family and adds a fresh pop to the dish, shiso adds a minty aroma, and the benitadé adds a bit of pepper. Shinji also loves the honmasu (cherry salmon) this time of year. Here he marinates it in a sweet Saikyō miso marinade overnight and then grills it.
Most of the Japanese fish names are linked to a photo of the fish.
Ainame 鮎魚女 fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii）
Akagai 赤貝 ark shell (Scapharca broughtonii)
Aoyagi 青柳 surf clam (Mactra chinensis)
Asari 浅利 Japanese littleneck clams (Ruditapes philippinarum)
Bora 鰡 flathead mullet or gray mullet (Mugil cephalus)
Chidai 血鯛 crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)
Chiayu 稚鮎 young ayu or sweet fish (Plecoglossus altivelis)
Honmasu 本鱒 cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou)
Hotaru Ika 蛍烏賊擬 firefly squid (Enoploteuthis chunii)
Hotate 帆立貝 scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis)
Hoya 海鞘 sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi)
Ishidai 石鯛 black seabream (Oplegnathus fasciatus)
Katsuo 鰹 skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (Katsuwonus pelamis)
Kasago 笠子 scorpion fish (Sebastiscus marmoratus)
karauni 殻雲丹 sea urchin (Anthocidaris crassispina)
Kinki 黄血魚 thorny head (Sebastolobus macrochir)
Kinmedai 金目鯛 (sometimes called kinme) splendid alfonsino (Beryx splendens)
Kihada maguro 黄肌鮪 yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)
Kohada 小鰭 gizzard shad (Konosirus pumctatus)
Kurokarei 黒鰈 flounder or black plaice (Pleuronectes obscurus)
Kurodai 黒鯛 Japanese black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii)
Maaji 真鯵 Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)
Magarei 真鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes herzensteini)
Madai 真鯛 sea bream (Pagurus major)
Mategai 真手貝 razor clam (Solen strictus)
Mirugai 海松食 geoduck (Tresus keenae)
Mebaru 目張 rockfish (Sebastes inermis)
Nishin 鰊 Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)
Okoze 虎魚 scorpion fish (Inimicus japonicus)
Sakura ebi 桜蝦 sakura shrimp (Sergia lucens)
Sawara 鰆 Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius)
Sayori 針魚 halfbeak (Hyporhamphus sajori)
Sazae 栄螺 turban shell (Turbo cornutus)
Shako 蝦蛄 mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria)
Shirauo 白魚 whitefish or ice goby (Salangichthys microdon)
Shira ebi 白海老 glass shrimp (Pasiphaea japonica)
Sumiika 墨烏賊 cuttlefish (Sepia (Platysepia) esculenta)
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)
Tokisake 時鮭 young chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)
Torigai 鳥貝 heart clam (Fulvia mutica)
Tsubugai つぶ貝 whelk (Buccinum undatum)
