Fukuoka Fish Market
September 2022
AKI-SAKE – Autumn chum salmon
In September, in Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, salmon go upstream to lay eggs. From autumn to winter, they are representative of northern province taste. Do not miss the season! We are looking forward to your order.
KINMEDAI – Alfonsino
We will check the quality and quantity of the catch and price trends of Kochi, Izu, and Chiba, and send the best ones to our customers.
MADAI – Red Sea Bream (Wild)
Japanese people simply love this fish. It has a long history of being served on celebration days in Japan. This fish has a tasty fatty part under the skin. “Shimokawa-tsukuri” is the best sashimi style to make use of the tasty fatty parts. Roasting with some skin on also enhances the delicious taste. Recently, farm-raised sea bream has become more popular but wild caught sea bream is still a top-ranking fish in the Japan seafood market.
KUE – Longtooth Grouper
As you well know, longtooth grouper is considered in the markets in the Kyushu area to be an extra-high-quality fish due to their flavor and sparse distribution. They have fluffy white meat while their skin is thick and full of collagen. Yet although they are a fatty fish, they are subtler and lighter compared to fatty tuna, and when cooked in nabe soups, the collagen mixes with the stock to produce a delicate flavor.
The translucent white meat has a strong texture that also lends to a pleasant texture when enjoyed as sashimi. Their plentiful marbling makes for a light, refined flavor.
AKAISAKI – Red grunt
They are caught all year. Its bland white meat does not have much fat, and the taste does not change all year just like other groupers. This fish’ umami is under the skin and Yakishimozukuri, which is sashimi prepared after burning its skin and ice-chilling, becomes an elegant dish. Other than that, boiled, sautee, or broiled with salt are good match too. Please give it a try.
MAHATA – Grouper
Many types of grouper can be enjoyed in Kyushu. Sevenband grouper (Mahata) is the most recommended for this season. Although it is a fish that is not well-distributed among other markets, it is often found in the markets of Fukuoka. The firm texture of the fish is delectable enjoyed as thin-slices.
KIJIHATA – Redspotted grouper
They are caught all year. Its bland white meat does not have much fat, and the taste does not change all year just like other sea basses. This fish’ umami is under the skin and Yakishimozukuri, which is sashimi prepared after burning its skin and ice-chilling, becomes an elegant dish. Other than that, boiled, sautee, or broiled with salt are good match too. Please give it a try.
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.
ISHIGAKIDAI - Spotted knifejaw
Sliced spotted knifejaw is a delicious white-fleshed fish very similar to madai (red seabream) with a tough and springy texture that makes it very chewy and gives it a light fragrance of the ocean when served as sashimi. When the white flesh is dry-aged, it becomes surprisingly fatty with strong umami, and tastes particularly delicious between the skin and flesh.
SUZUKI – Japanese Sea bass
In the Japan fish market, when this fish is compared to Madai (sea-bream), the name value is lower but the taste is just as good. Roasting with some skin left on enhances the delicious taste.
HIRAME – Fluke (wild)
It is still a bit early for the KAN-Hirame(‘cold’ season fluke) season, but better-quality catches start to flow in around September.
By being a bit creative, such as kobujime by tying kombu around the flesh, fall-catch flounder can also be surprisingly delectable.
AMADAI – Japanese Tilefish
In the season from fall to early spring, amadai are particularly rich in fat and delicious sweetness.
ITOYORI - Threadfin Bream
The bright pink of this fish adds the color to the sashimi-dish as well as a taste. In Japan, it’s high-end class fish. Sashimi with firm skin is ultimately tasty. This fish is good not only for Japanese foods, it’s good for sauteed with butter or Meuniere.
KISU – Smelt / Whiting
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.
OKOZE – Devil stinger
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.
KAMASU - Japanese Barracuda
Japanese barracudas used to be served as grilled or dried, and they had very few other ways of being cooked. But broader distribution networks in recent years have made it possible to serve them raw, such as in sashimi or aburi (partially grilled on the top) style. Barracudas have strong umami in the white flesh and an original flavor on the skin, so it tastes even better when partially grilled on the skin when served as sushi.
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.
ANAGO – Sea eel
Anago that is raised on the western offshore of Tsushima with abundant, high quality food, has a larger body than the common anago with better fat content as well. It really is the golden anago like its name says.
AJI “Ooita Ji Aji” - Horse mackerel
The Bungo channel is located where the Kuroshio (the warm current flowing from South to North) meets Seto Inland Sea, has good water quality and has abundant plankton that is food for fish.
Horse mackerel that grows up in the Bungo channel in Ōita have good reputation for its fat and good flavor.
MODORIGATSUO – ‘Returning’ Bonito
The delicious ‘returning’ bonito (bonito that is returning southward in the fall/winter after having gone north in the spring) season has arrived with the fall season upon us. Bonito of this season have had ample food to eat offering plenty of fatty meat, otherwise called “torogatsuo” (fatty-bonito). Enjoy the different flavors bonito offers between the light, fresh early bonito (spring/summer season), as well as the rich, buttery flavor of returning bonito.
SAWARA – Japanese Spanish Mackerel
Although known as a mainstay Spring fish, ‘cold’ Japanese Spanish Mackerel caught in the fall and winter are delicious due to their marbling.
Very delicious as sashimi and absolutely exquisite when grilled. Vast styles of preparations such as Yuan Yaki with the hint of pumelo flavoring, Saikyo Zuke using sweet Kyoto miso, meuniere, and frying are popular, although of course, especially fresh catches can be enjoyed as sushi or sashimi.
INA-SABA – Mackerel (Wild)
Ina-Saba is a brand of Japanese mackerel that is caught in the rich sea of the Tsushima area. Only selected pieces are picked for Ina-Saba brand, according to the following strict standards:
1) Caught by pole-and-line 2) No scratches on the body 3) More than 6 hours cooling time immediately after harvest 4) Size
AWABI - Abalone
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).
YAZU – Young Yellowtail
There is stable catch of wild caught amberjack in Fukuoka although a lot of aquaculture raised ones are on the market.
Compared to hamachi, there is not much fat and it has firm delicious taste. Wild caught ones are treated as high class fish at markets because the number of catch is less than hamachi and yellowtail amberjack.
KANPACHI – Amberjack(Wild)
There is stable catch of wild caught amberjack in Fukuoka although a lot of aquaculture raised ones are on the market.
Compared to hamachi, there is not much fat and it has firm delicious taste. Wild caught ones are treated as high class fish at markets because the number of catch is less than hamachi and yellowtail amberjack.
SHIRO-IKA – Swordtip squid
There are many names for swordtip squid, with some regions calling them “white squid” because their body is white.
Yamaguchi prefecture coast is an area that they migrate to from summer to autumn because there are a lot of small fish that they feed on.
White squid in Yamaguchi can be caught and kept in good quality because the fishing ground is nearby, so its fresh sashimi is recommended.
Its beautiful transparent meat has good crunchy texture, and unique sweetness can be enjoyed as well. It is also perfect for dishes such as tempura, grilled, boiled, or salted.
AWABI - Abalone
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).