Fish Index

This index gathers the sushi counter's fish and shellfish neta by season and by category — tuna, silver-skinned, white flesh, and shellfish or roe — rather than by name. It complements the main Lexicon, which lists every sushi term alphabetically; if you already know the word you're after, start there instead.

Tuna & red flesh Silver-skinned White flesh Shellfish & roe Others By season
Tuna & red flesh 赤身
otoro The fattiest cut of bluefin tuna, taken from the belly. Intensely marbled and almost buttery at counter temperature, it is typically at its richest in the depths of winter. negitoro Minced fatty tuna, often folded with scallion and served gunkan-style or in a hand roll. It uses the meat scraped from the bone after the main cuts are taken, so it follows the same winter peak as ōtoro. akami The lean, deep-red loin of bluefin tuna, dark because a warm-bodied swimmer needs the oxygen. Chefs judge a tuna on this rather than on its fat, and it is the traditional base for the soy-marinade cure. chūtoro Medium-fatty tuna between the lean loin and the belly. There is no regulated boundary between the grades — the line is drawn by a chef with a knife, fish by fish. katsuo Skipjack, taken twice a year: the lean first bonito of early summer and the fat-heavy return fish of autumn. Often seared over burning straw and served thick with ginger and scallion.

Japan's Fisheries Agency reports that the Pacific bluefin tuna spawning stock fell to roughly 9,800 tonnes in 2010; catch limits were introduced through the WCPFC from 2015 and became statutory quota management in 2018. The interim recovery target was met in 2019, and the large-fish catch quota was raised in 2022.

— Japan's Fisheries Agency
maguro Maguro is an umbrella term for several tuna species, not one fish. Said alone, it usually means Pacific bluefin, but it promises less than that.
Silver-skinned 光り物
kohada Gizzard shad, cured in salt and vinegar until the silver skin turns matte and the flesh firms. Widely considered at its best in autumn, as the fish fattens ahead of winter. aji Horse mackerel, lightly scored and served with grated ginger and scallion to offset its natural oiliness. Sweetest through the summer months, when the fish carries the most fat. saba Mackerel, which spoils so fast that Japanese has a phrase for it rotting while still alive. Almost always cured in salt and vinegar — a cure that seasons and firms the fish but, contrary to common belief, does not sterilise it. iwashi Sardine, written with the characters for fish and weak. Opened by hand rather than by knife, and served with ginger and scallion against the oil; at its fattest in early summer. sayori Halfbeak, a needle-thin spring fish with a red-tipped lower jaw. Too slender to lie flat on rice, so it is folded, knotted or scored — one of the few pieces the chef shapes rather than slices. kasugo Kasugo is not one fish. It is a market name for the young of three related sea bream, shared for only as long as all three are small enough to answer to it. kisu Kisu reads as a lean white fish, but sushi has long grouped it with the shining, cured silver fish, and only recently begun serving it raw at all. sanma Sanma is Pacific saury: oily and silver, hikarimono by sight. Whether it is cured, seared or served raw depends on the counter, not the fish itself.
White flesh 白身
kanpachi Greater amberjack — a firmer, leaner relative of hamachi, with a clean bite and a faint sweetness. Often at its best from early summer into autumn. hamachi Young yellowtail; the same fish becomes buri once it reaches adult size, its fattiest and most prized form. The name changes with growth stage — a shusseuo, or "success fish", traditionally served at celebrations. shima-aji Striped jack, among the most delicately flavoured of the white-fleshed fish, with a light sweetness and gentle fat. Generally best from late spring through summer. kinmedai Splendid alfonsino, a deep-water fish with pale, fatty flesh often served lightly seared to render some of the fat beneath the skin. At its richest in winter. madai Red sea bream, Japan's classic celebratory fish, traditionally served at weddings and New Year. The cherry-blossom-season fish, known as sakura-dai, is prized for its delicate, faintly sweet flesh in spring. isaki Chicken grunt, a small white fish with a delicate, faintly sweet flesh. Considered at its best in early summer, just before spawning. engawa The fin muscle of flounder or halibut — a thin, chewy, fatty strip cut from around the edge of the fish, distinct from the fillet itself. Most abundant in winter, when the flatfish is in season. hirame Olive flounder, the reference white fish of an Edomae counter. Springy and near-flavourless when fresh, it is rested for a day or cured between sheets of kelp before it tastes of anything — and it is the fish engawa comes from. hamo Pike conger, the summer fish of Kyoto and Osaka. Thousands of fine bones make it unusable until the chef cuts through them at millimetre intervals without cutting the skin, then blanches it so the flesh opens into a flower. kawahagi Kawahagi, filefish, is named for the tough skin peeled off before use. What sets it apart is the liver, mixed into soy and served with the fish. nodoguro Blackthroat seaperch has two Japanese names. The trade press uses one of them almost exclusively, and that popular name turns out not to be this fish's alone. shiromi Shiromi means fish with little myoglobin in the muscle, not a species. On a Tokyo menu, the word names a category — any of a dozen fish could be under it. suzuki Suzuki, Japanese sea bass, is a shusseuo: its name changes as it grows, from seigo to fukko to suzuki. It peaks in summer, unlike most white fish.
Shellfish & roe 貝・魚卵
uni Sea urchin roe, sweet and briny with a smooth, custard-like texture at its finest. The species most often seen at the counter are bafun and murasaki, and quality varies by season and origin; many regard the summer catch as the peak. ikura Salmon roe, marinated in soy and mirin, each egg bursting with a saline, umami-rich pop. Tied to the autumn salmon run, when the roe is harvested at its freshest. shako Mantis shrimp, briefly boiled and glazed, with a delicate sweetness distinct from ordinary shrimp. In season from spring into early summer, especially when egg-bearing females arrive. ebi Sweet shrimp — most often kuruma prawn, served briefly cooked, its head sometimes fried separately. Kuruma ebi reach their peak through the summer months. kazunoko Herring roe, cured in brine or dashi until firm and audibly crunchy. A New Year staple in Japan, traditionally associated with the depths of winter. hokkigai Surf clam, briefly blanched so its tip turns a bright red-orange, with a faintly sweet, briny bite. In season from winter into spring, most often from Hokkaido. hotate Scallop — the single adductor muscle, cut thick and served raw. It is the one item on the counter that tastes frankly sweet, and the sweetness fades as soon as the shellfish loses condition. akagai Ark shell, one of the very few molluscs that carries haemoglobin, which is why it is red and tastes faintly of iron. Struck once against the board, a live one curls and stiffens in front of you. amaebi Ama-ebi is the small, raw sweet prawn on nearly every counter. The sweetness it is named for is not fully there when it is caught — it needs time. awabi Awabi is abalone, and the word covers two different foods: a crisp raw slice and a soft, long-cooked piece, chosen by species and chef, not by a fixed rule. kani Kani means crab, but at a counter it can mean zuwai-gani, taraba-gani, beni-zuwai-gani, kegani, or kanikama — a manufactured stick that is not crab at all. mirugai Mirugai, or mirukui, is a large clam whose siphon is too long to fit inside its own shell. Only that siphon is served; the rest of the animal is set aside. shirako Shirako is milt, not roe — the reproductive gland of a male fish, served raw, blanched, grilled or simmered, from cod, monkfish or fugu. tairagai Tairagai is a large bivalve served as a single adductor muscle, sliced thin and pale — the same organ scallop is served as, cut for the opposite reason. torigai Torigai is a cockle with a glossy black membrane already on the raw animal. Its fragile shell means it is usually opened before the piece reaches a kitchen.
Others その他
sāmon Raw farmed salmon, an arrival of the late twentieth century rather than a traditional neta, and still largely absent from classical Edomae counters. Note the split: sāmon is the raw fish, while sake usually means the salted, grilled one. tako Octopus, almost always boiled before it reaches the rice. Everything good or bad about the piece happens in the pot — the window between properly set and rubbery is narrow, and crossing it cannot be undone. anago Conger eel — a saltwater fish, simmered until silken and brushed with a sweet-savoury tsume glaze. Lighter than unagi, and considered at its finest in summer. sumi-ika Golden cuttlefish, sliced thin for a clean, faintly sweet bite with a soft, yielding chew. Generally in season from winter through spring. temaki A hand-rolled cone of nori filled with rice and neta, meant to be eaten at once, before the nori softens with moisture from the rice. Served year-round, often as a casual close to the meal. unagi Freshwater eel, grilled and glazed with a sweet-savoury sauce — a different fish from anago, and one not often served at sushi counters themselves. Traditionally eaten at the height of summer. tamago A sweet, dashi-rich egg omelette folded into layers through patient, repeated cooking. Often the final piece of a nigiri sequence, and available year-round. sawara Sawara’s kanji pairs the character for fish with the character for spring. What actually happens to the fish at the counter does not agree on one answer.
By season 旬

A general guide only — the same fish can peak at different times depending on where it is caught, and individual houses read the calendar differently.

Spring
Madai · Shako · Sumi-ika
Summer
Uni · Kanpachi · Anago · Shima-aji · Isaki · Aji · Unagi · Ebi
Autumn
Ikura · Kohada
Winter
Otoro · Negitoro · Hamachi · Kinmedai · Engawa · Kazunoko · Hokkigai

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