Anago Chirashizushi 穴子ちらし寿司

My aunt in Osaka has a lot in common with my husband. They have both worked at retail stores selling seafood. I love shopping with both of them as I always learn about new seafood and what to look for before purchasing something.

My Osaka aunt is also a great cook. As a mother of three she managed keeping everyone well fed. With three men in the house there was always a lot of food on the table.

When I visit her we often have the local favorite okonomiyaki. But there is one dish that I will always associate with her. Anago (or unagi if you can't get anago) chirashizushi. It's an economical way to have anago and unagi which is really expensive this year. There are enough vegetables in the dish so this and a bowl of soup is perfect for lunch.

Anago and unagi are both in season this time of year. The anago I found at the market was already grilled and cut up. Thinly slice a Japanese cucumber, lightly salt it, set aside for a few minutes, and then squeeze of excess water. Meanwhile julienne some shiso and a myoga. In a large donburi bowl combine rice, anago, salted cucumbers, shiso, and myoga. Add some toasted sesame seeds and stir to combine.

The anago is a bit meaty so it is perfectly balanced by the juicy cucumbers, refreshing shiso and the myoga that packs a tiny punch. If you are lucky enough to have anago or unagi in your market then this is a dish worth making.

September Seasonal Japanese Seafood

Grilled Nishin

While summer heat is still bearing down slowly autumn seafood are coming into the market. Hokkaido harvested its first akijake this week as well as sanma from Choshi port in Chiba. We love asari clams with pasta.

Nishin is a very fish fish, but easier on the palate when grilled. Hirame is excellent as sashimi. And, when we can’t finish it all in one night we’ll wrap it with kombu and have it as kobujime sashimi the next night. The hirame becomes rich with umami from the kombu. Hotate gai is sweet as sashimi, and irresistible when sautéed with a bit of butter. Kinki is a small (and expensive) fish that we love simmered in a rich soy broth. Finally, Shinji’s favorite tachiuo recipe is sashimi seasoned with a bit of sesame oil and a hint of salt.

Click on the Japanese name to see a photo of the seafood.

Ainame 鮎並 fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii)

Aka garei 赤鰈flathead flounder (Hippoglossoides dubius)

Akijake 秋鮭

Amaebi 甘海老 sweet shrimp(Pandalus borealis)

Asaba garei 浅羽鰈 dusky sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata)

Asahigani spanner crab (Ranina ranina)

Asari 浅蜊 Japanese little neck clam (Ruditapes philippinarum)

Awabi 鮑 abalone (Haliotis sorenseni)

Ayu 鮎 sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis)

Baka gai 馬鹿貝 surf clam (Mactra chinensis)

Benizuwai gani 紅頭矮蟹　red snow crab (Chionoecetes japonicus)

Botan ebi ボタンエビ Botan shrimp  (Pandalus nipponesis)

Chidai   血鯛  crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)

Dojou 泥鰌 loach (Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus)

Ezo bafununi 蝦夷馬糞海胆 short-spined sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius)

Ezobora 蝦夷法螺whelk (Neptunea polycostata)

Hakkaku 八角 sailfin poacher (Podothecus sachi)

Also called tokubire

Hanasaki gani 花咲蟹  spiny king crab (Paralithodes brevipes)

Hata hata 鰰  sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus)

Hime ezobora 姫蝦夷法螺  sea snail (Neptunea arthritica)

Hirame 鮃 olive halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus) – KOBUJIME HIRAME POST

Hokke 𩸽 arabesque greenling (Pleurogrammus azonus)

Hokki gai (uba gai) 姥貝 hen clam (Pseudocardium sachalinense)

Hokkoku akaebi 北国赤蝦  Alaskan pink shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

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イナダ young Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Kaki  牡蠣 oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Kamasu 大和叺 barracuda (Sphyraena japonica)

Katakuchi iwashi 片口鰯 Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus)

Katsuo 鰹  skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kawa yatsume 川八目Japanese lamprey (Lampetra japonica)

Kawagarei or Numagarei沼鰈starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus)

Kegani 毛蟹 horsehair crab (Erimacrus isenbeckii)

Kinki or Kichiji黄血魚thornhead (Sebastolobus macrochir)

Kita murasakiuni 北紫海胆 Northern sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus nudus)

Kouika 甲烏賊 cuttlefish (Sepia (Platysepia) esculenta)

Kounago 小女子 Japanese sand lance (Ammodytes personatus)

Kuro gashiragarei 黒頭鰈 cresthead flounder (Pleuronectes schrenki)

Kurokarei 黒鰈 black plaice (Pleuronectes obscurus)

Kuromutsu 黒鯥 Japanese bluefish or bigeye (Scombrops gilberti)

Kuruma ebi 車海老 kuruma prawn (Penaeus (Melicertus) japonicus)

Ma anago 真穴子 conger eel (Conger myriaster)

Magarei 真鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes herzensteini)

Maiwashi 真鰯  Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Mako garei 真子鰈 marbled flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Managatsuo 真名鰹 silver pomfret (Pampus punctatissimus)

Masaba真鯖 Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Masu 鱒 trout (there are many types of trout – see nijimasu, sakuramasu)

Mizudako 水蛸 North Pacific giant octopus (Octopus dofleini)

Namako 真海鼠 Japanese sea cucumber (Stichopus japonica)

Niji masu 虹鱒 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Nishin 鰊 Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

Sake 鮭 salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)

Sakura masu 桜鱒 cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou maso)

Sanma 秋刀魚 Pacific saury (Cololabis saira)

Saragai 皿貝 Northern great tellin (Megangulus venulosa)

Shijimi 大和蜆 corbicula clam (Corbicula japonica)

Shirauo 白魚 icefish (Salangichthys microdon)

Shiro ika 白烏賊  swordtip squid (Loligo (Photololigo) edulis)* or kensaki ika

Souhachi 宗八鰈 pointhead flounder (Cleishenes pinetorum)

Suketou dara 鯳 Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma)

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)

Torigai 鳥貝 Japanese cockle (Fulvia mutica)

Unagi 鰻 Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica)

Wakasagi 若細魚 Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis)

Warasa鰤Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Yanagi no mai 柳の舞 yellow rockfish (Sebastes steindachneri)

August Seasonal Japanese Seafood

Anago Tempura

Some of my favorite seafood is in season this time of year, particularly unagi and anago. For unagi I love Nodaiwa and for anago, Tamai in Nihonbashi is a treat. Kamasu(barracuda) is lovely just salted and grilled. The meat is light and flakey. Kawahagi (thread-sail filefish) sashimi is light and delicate. If the fish is very fresh the liver can also be eaten. We love to mix the fresh liver with some soy sauce and dip the kawahagi sashimi into the creamy dip. Tachiuo(cutlassfish) is also very nice as sashimias it too is a light whitefish. One of our favorite preparations of tachiuo sashimi is to mix it with a bit of aromatic sesame oil and salt.

Ainame 鮎並 fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii)

Aka isaki　赤伊佐幾 Schlegel's red bass (Caprodon schlegelii)

Akashita birame 赤舌鮃  red-tongued sole (Cynoglossus joyneri)

Awabi鮑 abalone (Haliotis sorenseni)

Ayu鮎 sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis)

Benisake べにさけ　紅鮭 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Hamo  鱧 pike eel or pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus)

Hiramasa 平政 yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi)

Hoya 海鞘 sea squirt(Halocynthia roretzi)

Inadaイナダ young Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Stages of buri: wakashi, inada, warasa, buri

Isaki 伊佐幾 chicken grunt  (Parapristipoma trilineatum)

Ishidai 石鯛  barred knifejaw (Oplegnathus fasciatus)

Ishimochi イシモチ nibe croaker (Nibea mitsukurii)

Iwana 日光岩魚 whitespotted char (Salvelinus leucomaenis pluvius)

Kamasu 大和叺 barracuda (Sphyraena japonica)

Kanpachi  間八amberjack or yellowtail (Seriola dumerili)

Karei 鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Katsuo鰹  skipjack tuna or oceanic bonito (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kawahagi 皮剥 thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)

Kensaki ika 剣先烏賊 swordtip squid (Loligo edulis)

Kijihata (Akahata)雉羽太 red-spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara)

Kisu 鱚 Japanese whiting (Sillago japonica)*or shirogisu

Kochi鯒 bartail flathead (Platycephalus)

Koyari-ika小槍烏賊  baby spear squid (Loligo bleekeri)

Ma-anago 真穴子 whitespotted conger (Conger myriaster)

Maiwashi 真鰯  Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Makogarei 真子鰈 marbled sole (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Masaba真鯖Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Matsubu (Ezobora)まつぶ（えぞぼらJapanese neptune or whelk (Neptunea polycostata)

Mehikari  目光greeneyes (Chlorophthalmus borealis)

Mejimaguro めじまぐろ young tuna (genus Thunnus)

Nijimasu 虹鱒 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Oni-okoze  鬼虎魚 spiny devilfish (Inimicus japonicus)

Saba鯖  Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Saragai 皿貝 Northern great tellin (Megangulus venulosa)

Shiira  しいら　鱪dorado or mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)

Shima-aji  島鯵 striped jack or white trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex)

Shinko (Konoshiro)鰶dotted gizzard shad (Konosirus punctatus)

Surumei ika するめいか　鯣烏賊Japanese common squid (or flying squid) (Todarodes pacificus)

Suzuki 鱸  Japanese sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus)

Tachiuo 太刀魚 cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)

Tobiuo 飛魚 Japanese flying fish (Cypselurus agoo)

Unagi 鰻 Japanese eel  (Anguilla japonica)