Vol.27 Fish... what to buy at supermarket in Japan?

Hi!

You like fish but don't know what to buy? I understand the names of fishes are a little tricky between different countries. I often felt hopelessness when I used google translation at supermarket in America.. 

Today, I'd like to share some fishes that I normally purchase to cook. So please enjoy good taste!

* I couldn’t put all photos of recipes due to copyright but I put the link on 「Japanese name」 which you can jump to the list of the menu. So that you can see and imagine how the food is.

* If you have a specific prefer recipe that you would like to know, please let me know! I will introduce in another chance!

1. Sanma - さんま - サンマ - 秋刀魚 - Saury fish

I feel like slowly autumn is setting in when I see sanma(サンマ) at supermarket. It's one of the most popular fishes in autumn. 

Recipe: 「さんまの塩焼き(Sanma no shio yaki)」Simply grill it with salt. Serve with daikon oroshi(grated radish) and citrus. There are a lot of little bones. Some people might get irritated to get rid of it..

2. Saba - さば - サバ - 鯖 - Mackerel

Saba's best season is also autumn. It contains a lot of DHA and omega-3.

Recipe: 「さばの塩焼き(Saba no shio yaki)」Simply grill it with salt. Very good with rice and miso soup which is a classic Japanese set meal:) I feel it's juicier than sanma. 

「さばの味噌煮(Saba no misoni)」Simmer with miso, sake, mirin etc. One of the very popular mama's home cooking! 

3．Sake - さけ - サケ - 鮭 - Salmon

There are a lot of kinds of salmon. In Japan, when we call "salmon" that means sashimi salmon. We normally call sake (or shakeしゃけ) for cooking salmon. (Above picture is for cooking. ) Sake is also best in autumn (called 秋鮭).

Recipe:　「さけの西京焼き(Sake no saikyo yaki)」Grill marinated salmon with miso. (Saikyo-yaki is called Kyoto style grilled fish. ) Very easy but looks professional ;)

「さけのホイル焼き(Sake no hoil yaki)」Cook salmon in foil with many vegetables. All of the taste stays inside. It's juicy and tasty!

For sashimi salmon, I like 「サーモンアボカド丼(Salmon Avocado don)」. Chop sashimi salmon and avocado. Serve on sumeshi (酢飯sushi rice) with sashimi sauce.

This is sashimi salmon.

4. Katsuo - かつお - カツオ - 鰹 - Bonito

This is seared bonito (lightly roasted bonito sashimi). Bonito contains many iron.

Recipe: 「かつおのたたき(Katsuo tataki)」No need to cook. Serve with a lot of sliced onions. Put some attached sauce or ponzu. Some people might feel the taste of iron too strongly. 

5. Buri - ぶり - ブリ - 鰤 - Japanese amberjack

When Yellowtail(Hamachi) grows it becomes Buri. I love buri!

Recipe: 「ぶりの照り焼き(Buri no teriyaki)」Grill with teriyaki flavor. Very nice with rice:) Very soft and juicy.

「ぶり大根(Buri daikon)」Simmer with daikon (Japanese radish) with soy sauce, sake, mirin etc. Mild and gentle taste.

 6. Tai - たい - タイ - 鯛 - Seabream/Red snapper

Tai is used for daily cook and often for family celebration because its pronunciation "Tai" is part of "Omedetai(おめでたい) =Congratulations"  .

"Taiyaki" which is fish-shaped pancake filled with red bean paste is named from this fish. 

Recipe: 「鯛の煮つけ(Tai no nitsuke)」Simmer with soy sauce, sake, mirin etc. Some people might feel the texture of dry so eat with a lot of sauce. 

「鯛めし(Tai meshi)」Rice with whole steamed seabream.

Did you find something you like?? There are so many good food in Japanese autumn. Let's appreciate and enjoy eating together:)