Which fish/sashimi is that?

[infernooo]

Hi all!

I am currently in Japan, and as part of the requisite eats, bought a huge assortment of Sashimi from one of the well known depachikas - Tobu @ Ikebukuro.

Besides the fact that I was blown away with the quality, there were 2 in particular that stood out which I would love to know the name of. I am sure I know them by another name but I am not the best at ID'ing fish !

They are circled in green and red. The one in green was slightly chewier, whereas the one in red was more buttery and tender. I have also included close up shots of the names in Japanese.

Thanks in advance!

Larger versions:

As for the other ones:

Top right may be snapper?

To the left of the prawns/shrimp I am not sure about (was VERY firm)

To the left of this I think was seabass?

Above the salmon I think is flounder?

Edited August 2, 2008 by infernooo (log)

[Hiroyuki]

OK, the answers are:

Top row, from left to right: Hon maguro (blue fin tuna), kanpachi (amberjack), hon maguro, hiramasa (amberjack?, kingfish?, Seriola lalandi Valenciennes)

Second row: Hirame (left-eye flounder), hon maguro, hamachi (young yellowtail), hon maguro

Third row: Salmon, suzuki (Japanese seabass), sode ika (diamondback squid), ama ebi (sweet shrimp)

Thus, the green one is kanpachi (amberjack) and the red one is hamachi (young yellowtail).

Note that yellowtails are called differently in Japanese depending on the stage of growth. Search for "shusse uo" through eGullet for more information.

[infernooo]

Thank you so much Hiroyuki! I looked up kanpachi (amberjack) and hamachi (young yellowtail) and many of the pages I found list them as the same species. Many also list them as both from the yellowtail family, but one younger than the other or Japanese caught. (e.g. http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/Informa...20/Default.aspx AND http://www.chowhound.com/topics/482091 for example)

This may make it difficult when I get back to AU and try find them at the fish markets ! :-(

Thanks again!

Edited August 5, 2008 by infernooo (log)

[ogkodansha]

I guess in the olden days they thought various stages of growth were completely different fish, and to confuse matters the fish is also said to have different names in Kanto and Kansai which of course escape me just now, maybe Hiroyuki knows.

[SuzySushi]

You should be able to find hamachi at a good fish market that sells fish for sashimi. Kanpachi is rarely available at retail; most of it goes to the better sushi bars.

[sanrensho]

I guess in the olden days they thought various stages of growth were completely different fish, and to confuse matters the fish is  also said to have different names in Kanto and Kansai which of course escape me just now, maybe Hiroyuki knows.

Not just the olden days, it is still standard practice to identify certain species depending on the stage of growth and season caught. This makes a lot of sense to me as the qualities of fish can change over time.

[Hiroyuki]

Here is a link to the discussion of shusse uo in daily nihongo thread.

As for me (an amateur cook who lives in the Kanto region), buri (adult), hamachi (young), and inada (younger than hamachi) are all the words I need to know about yellowtails.