When is the peak of fish in Japan?
Spring fish represents the first bonito
In general, from winter (December to February) to spring (March to May), it is the most delicious season for various fish catches in Japan. This is because many fish enter the spawning period in the spring, and before that, they will store a lot of nutrients in advance in order to spawn! There are also many fish that increase their catches by being close to the coast during the spawning period, so they can taste delicious catches at a lower price in the spring.
Japanese izakayas or sushi restaurants generally introduce seasonal sashimi or sushi at different times of the year according to seasonal catches, while many rotary sushi restaurants also advertise seasonal fish with larger icons.
Bonito (Squid)
The first of spring
One of the migratory fish, bonito, has two peak production periods in the year, namely the "first bonito" in the spring and the "Uighur bonito" in the autumn. Compared to the oil-rich "Uighur bonito", the refreshing "First Bonito" can taste the original delicious taste of the naked fish.
Illustration of bonito swimming back
Because bonito fish follow the Kuroshio tide north from the Pacific side of Japan, southern Kyushu in March and central Honshu in May are bonito production areas. In particular, Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku and Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshu catch the most bonito fish, and the traditional "one-book fishing" bonito in Kochi Prefecture is a sought-after delicacy in the market, and the local "bonito half-knock grilled" (bonito half-knock grilled" (bonito) in the spring is a special visit for many Japanese people to taste its delicious seasonal delicacies.
Straw grilled bonito
Bonito half-knock roasted / Bonito Tosa-made
A detailed video introduction to spring bonito in Kochi Prefecture, Japan
Please click to watch = > [top left] [top left] [top left] [top left] fish is half cooked but it is delicious! Detailed explanation of Japanese bonito half-knock roasted (straw grilled first bonito)
Water sardines
Needlefish
The slender, light-tasting needlefish are also one of the spring fish. The large needle fish with a thicker body length of more than 30 cm is also commonly known as "Latch (Kannuki)", although the price is higher, but the fat and fat needle fish is the best! However, although needlefish have the highest catch because they gather in the shoals in the spring to spawn, and are also the high-grade fish material for the spring at sushiya and Tempura shops, the meat is looser at this time because of the nutrient supply to the fish eggs. The finest needlefish are caught in December and February, and the flesh is firm.
The upper and lower lips of the needlefish
Latch (Kannuki) originally referred to the latch (supporting the retainer) used when closing the door fan or gate. The large needlefish resembles its appearance and is therefore known as this nickname. The lips of the water needle are very distinctive, the upper lip is short, the lower lip is as long as a thin needle, and it is known as the belly black fish, the appearance is bright and translucent, but the belly membrane is as dark as ink.
Black-bellied needlefish
Needlefish are mostly found south of central Honshu and can be caught in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Japanese Sea side, Ibaraki Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, kanagawa Prefecture on the Pacific Side, or Kagawa Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture facing the Seto Inland Sea. The meat is soft and tender, and the taste is fresh and sweet, and the sashi and sushi are the most popular fish at Japanese restaurants in spring!
Needlefish sashimi
Needlefish sushi
Tai Tai
Cherry seabream of spring wine
The spawning period of Japanese seabream varies from sea to sea, mostly between February and June, if you want to enjoy seabream in the spring, try to choose the early peak of the real seabream before the spawning period, when the seabream is rich in fat and quite delicious. Since it is the season when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Japan, the sea bream at this time is also known as the "cherry blossom seabream" because of its color similar to the cherry blossoms. Although seabream farming is now prevalent in Japan, large quantities of wild seabream are abundant in the southern prefectures of Nagasaki and Fukuoka.
Smaller spring snapper
To taste the sweetness of seabream, in addition to directly sashimi or sushi, it is also recommended to marinate the seabream in a konbu for about a few hours to a day, or the "spring seabream" made by cutting the baby seabream into sashimi and soaking in vinegar.
Sakura snapper sashimi and grip sushi
Shirau
Tiny silverfish
Although the Appearance of Japanese SilverFish looks like juvenile fish, the adult fish of Silver Fish is actually only so large! Spring is the best time to taste it. Semi-brackish waters such as Lake Ogawara in Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture in the east, and Lake Shinji in Shimane Prefecture are the main producers of silver fish in Japan. There are many ways to eat silver fish, which can be placed on rice to make seafood rice bowl.
Half-raw, half-cooked silver fish seafood rice bowl
When making a piece of silver fish into sushi, although you can also put a few silver fish directly into a grip sushi, the most common one is the "silver fish warship sushi" (sushi wrapped in sea moss around the sushi vinegar rice, and the rice is placed on the rice with various ingredients). As soon as you bite into the silver fish sushi, you can feel its fresh sweetness and slight bitterness spreading in your mouth.
Silverfish warship sushi
Firefly Squid
Spring night on the shores of Toyama Bay
Speaking of the Hokuriku region of Japan, the spring landscape of Toyama Prefecture on the side of the Sea of Japan, I have to mention the firefly squid!
Glowing fireflies squid
Fireflies usually inhabit the deep sea, but come to coastal shoals in order to lay their eggs. Every spring from March to early May, the beach that cannot be seen at night will emit a faint blue and white glow with the lapping of the waves, so the sea looks quite mysterious.
Soy sauce pickled in squid
The way to eat fire squid is generally raw, blanched vinegar miso and sushi eating, because the firefly squid has parasites that cause acute diarrhea, and it needs to be frozen at minus 35 degrees Celsius before it can be sashimi.
Miso sauce Firefly squid
When making squid into sushi, most of them put a whole strip of whole or boiled squid on top of the sushi. The thick and delicious smell of the fireflies squid with a bouncy tooth makes people feel the footsteps of spring visits.
A detailed video introduction to the Japanese spring firefly squid
Please click to watch the mysterious fluorescent delicacy of the > [top left] [top left] [top left]! Explain the japanese spring specialties - fire squid, firefly squid!