MEICHI DAI – Gray Large-eye bream
Meichidai is not a widely known fish in the seafood market, but it is one of the best fish during the summer season. Many white meat fishes, such as Madai, have less fat content in the summer, and this lowers its quality of taste. However, for Meichidai, summer is when it has the most fat and tastes the best. Meichidai is a rare fish on the market, but when it is available, we use the “Asajime” method the same morning and ship it.
知る人ぞ知る夏一番のお勧めです。真鯛など脂が落ちる夏に脂がのるメイチダイは大型でも40センチまで、大体700グラムが福岡から出る一般的なサイズです。貴重な魚のためなかなか手に入りませんが、入荷がある時は活魚を朝締めで出荷します。
KISU – Smelt/whitings
Kisu, which migrate toward towards the shore to lay their eggs, are allowed be caught beginning in May, and from that time you can see lots of fresh fish of this species in stores. Kisu prefers the clean sands at the bottom of the ocean. The beautiful waters around Shiga Island abound with high-quality kisu. To maintain the freshness of this fish, fisherman learn the technique of releasing the hook from the fish without touching it.
産卵のため岸近くに回遊してきたキスを獲るそうごち網・流しさし網漁業が5月に解禁されて、新鮮なキスが店頭にならびます。きれいな砂の海底を好む魚で、綺麗な海が広がる志賀島は良質なキスが良く穫れる漁場となっています。
OUGON HAMO – Pike Conger
Many rivers flow into the Shiranui Sea of Amakusa where pike eel, growing in a location with ample food thanks to the freshwater, are called golden pike eel and have excellent marbling. Fished by long-line, pike eel here is known for quality far-exceeding the rest of the nation.
天草の不知火海はそそぐ川が多く、淡水の影響により餌が豊富な場所で育ったハモは黄金ハモと呼ばれ、脂ののりが最高です。はえ縄漁で獲られたこのハモは全国で抜き出た品質が知られています。
YAZU/INADA – Young Yellowtail
Yazu is a “Shusseuo” name of young yellowtail in Fukuoka area market. It has less fatty meat compare to Buri. It has elegant sweetness and satisfying texture.
ブリの若魚で、地方によっては違う呼び名になります。脂が乗ったブリに比べるとさっぱりとした爽やかな味わいで、ハリのある食感が特徴です。価格もてごろで刺身・照り焼・から揚げなどが美味です。
OUGON ANAGO – Conger Eel
There are the migratory black horse mackerel and the basin-dwelling yellow horse mackerel. The “Genchan Aji” are black horse mackerel, and the “Izumi Aji” are yellow horse mackerel that stay in coastal bays. Please use either kind of mackerel to suit your preference.
対馬の西沖でとれたアナゴは良質な餌を食べているために大きく育ち、脂が乗っている黄金のあなごです。
HIRAMASA – Yellowtail Amberjack
This fish doesn’t have as much fat as Buri, but has more fat and “umami” content compared to Kanpachi.
ブリほど脂は多くなく、カンパチよりも脂、旨みが多い魚で、鮮度の良い物は刺身でこりこりした食感を、一日ほど寝かしたものは、まったりとした旨みを味わえます。
MANAGATSUO – Pompano
Although normally they are swimming off the shores in schools between June and August, butterfish make their way to the inland sea and other inner-bay areas to lay their eggs.
It is during this time, between the end of June and the middle of August, that butterfish are seen in the markets.
Due to their habitat being south of Central Honshu, there is a tendency of them not being well-liked in Kanto, however they are an exquisite fish that is considered as a top-quality fish in exclusive Kyoto restaurants. If fresh, sashimi is the suggested way to enjoy them, however, teriyaki, yuan-yaki (a grilled preparation in soy/mirin with citrus rings), and grilling after miso-pickling are also popular preparations.
通常は群れを作り沖合を回遊していますが、6月から8月には産卵のために内海や内湾に入ってきます。 マナガツオが市場に出回るのはこの時期で6月末から8月中旬です。本州中部以南に生息する事もあって関東ではあまり好まれない傾向がありますが、非常に美味な魚で関西地方では京都の高級料亭で取り扱われるの高級魚です。鮮度がよければ刺身が絶品と言われますが、照り焼きや幽庵焼き、味噌漬け焼きなど様々な料理方法でも美味しい魚です。
ISAKI – Japanese Grunt fish
Around the time of early summer, at the peak of their season, striped pigfish ride on the warm current of Tsushima through the offshores of Iki island to the Chikuzen sea in order to lay their eggs. Striped pigfish from Oshima are especially delectable due to their marbling that comes from the plentiful food they feed upon.
イサキは産卵のため、対馬暖流に乗って壱岐沖を通り、旬を迎える初夏頃に筑前海にやってきます。 特に餌の豊富な大島産のイサキは他と比べても脂ののりが格別で大変お勧めの一品です。
SUZUKI – Japanese Sea Bass
Japanese sea perch are a fish that come and go in the brackish water regions between the spring and summer months when their fishing rates are especially high. Once they become larger Japanese sea perches, they no longer swim up the rivers. They are a light white fish which is ideal prepared as arai (a washing technique used to shed extra fat), grilled with salt, or in the French meuniere style.
春先から夏に漁獲が多い汽水域を行き来する内湾性の魚です。大きいスズキになると川には入らなくなります。 身は淡白な白身で、洗い・塩焼・ムニエルなどもおすすめです。
ISHIDAI – Striped Beakfish
Thinly sliced striped beakfish is translucent with a firm texture, an ever-delicate sweetness, and an “Umami” flavor. It has a much richer flavor than Japanese sea bass and flathead, the most notorious of summer fish. Ways to enjoy this fish include: “Arai” style slices, simmered fish, steaming, salt-grilling, meuniere, and “Ushiojiru” salt broth. Also good is to remove the skin, boil and make thin slices with a garnish of julienned ginger and scallions with lemon juice, or wrapping them on bamboo skewer and grilling until crisp, seared with soy sauce or salt and lemon juice.
薄造りにしたイシダイの身は透き通り、歯ごたえがあってほのかな甘味と確かな旨味が広がります。同じく夏魚の代表のスズキやコチよりも濃厚な味わいです。洗いや煮付け、蒸し物、塩焼き、ムニエル、うしお汁などでどうぞ。皮はゆがいて細切りし、ねぎしょうがの千切りをあしらってレモン汁で、あるいは竹串に巻いてカリカリに焼き、醤油をたらすか塩とレモン汁でも。酒の肴に最適です。
AWABI – Abalone
Genkainada / Nagasaki
In the Chikuzen-sea, there are three subspecies for Awabi, but the Awabi most harvested out of those three is the Kuro-Awabi. (Saga, Nagasaki and Fukuoka: large size of 300g and up).
アワビの仲間は筑前海に3種類いますが、最も獲れているのはクロアワビです。500g以上の大型は高値で取引されます。佐賀、長崎、福岡 300グラムアップの大型です。
OKOZE – Demon Stinger
Kyushu
There are largely three types of devil stingers- red, black, and yellow. As for those sold in the markets, the red type is ranked as the most expensive, then the black, and finally the yellow. Those that are large and above 500g are especially popular to be prepared as sashimi.
鬼虎魚には大まかに三種類あり、赤虎魚・黒虎魚・黄虎魚がいます。市場において取引される価格も赤が高値で、次位に黒、最後は黄とランク付けされています。特に500g以上の大物はお造りようとして大変人気が高いです。
SAZAE – Turbo cornutus
Kyushu
Although turban shells have horns, those caught in the calm-waters of the inland sea have smaller one or have none at all, while those from the open seas have larger horns.
In Fukuoka Prefecture, research is being conducted on mass-producing farm-raised spat in order to increase resources. Although shell-grilling is the most common way of enjoying turban shells, they can also be enjoyed as sashimi or marinated in vinegar.
サザエの殻にはつのがありますが、波静かな内海のものはつのが小さかったり、なかったりしており、外海のものはつのが多くなります。
資源を増やすため、福岡県では人工稚貝の量産研究を続けています。サザエといえば壷焼きが有名ですが、刺身・酢のものなどでも賞味します。
AJI “IZUMI/GENCHAN” – Horse Mackerel
There are the migratory black horse mackerel and the basin-dwelling yellow horse mackerel. The “Genchan Aji” are black horse mackerel, and the “Izumi Aji” are yellow horse mackerel that stay in coastal bays. Please use either kind of mackerel to suit your preference.
アジは回遊型の黒アジ、内湾型の黄アジがありますが、玄ちゃんアジは黒アジ、出水アジは瀬 付きの黄アジです。好みに合わせて2種類のアジをお楽しみください。