Monday, May 26, 2008

A list of sushi by seasons : Whats in Season Now

Well all it's getting close to actually being summer here in calgary even though it feels like Vancouver these days. So with the change of weather, the wanting to go out and the students actually having money I thought it would be a good idea to let you all know whats in season. And no I'm not just going to tell you whats available over the summer but all the seasons. Here it goes.

Whats Available all year?

Toro (Tuna)
Bincho (albacore)
Chu-Toro (Medium tuna)
Akami maguro (Red meat tuna)
Karei (Halibut, lemon sole, type of flounder) Rare
Aji (Horse mackerel) Type of small/shiny fish
Ebi (Black tiger shrimp) Cooked
Botan ebi (Spot prawn)
Ama ebi(Sweet shrimp)
Hotategai (Scallop)
Ankimo (Monkfish liver) Easy to aquire but might not be on the menu. Ask your chef about it.
Unagi (Fresh water eel bbq)
Ika (squid)
Uni (Sea urchin) Spiky fish that only the ovaries are edible
Tako (Octopus)
Inari (Tofu pouch filled with rice)
Ikura (salmon roe) Because of the pickling process it's available outside of the salmons summer mating season.
Tamago (Light sweet omelete)
Tobbiko, Tobioo-noko (Flying fish roe)
Masay (Smelt Roe)

The pieces that I've just listed make up the majority of what I usually see on the menu in Calgary. Don't let that get you down though, always remember that even if you don't see it on the menu it never hurts to ask the chef about it.

Summer (June - August)
Kan Pachi (Amberjack)
Shima Aji (Yellow jack)
Suzuki (Sea Bass)
Hiramasa (King fish) This piece is very similar to yellowtail thats best in the winter months
Kohada (Gizzard shad)
Shakko (Mantis shrimp) This is a rare piece. If you manage to find it over the summer you will be happy because they will be filled with eggs.
Anago (Sea eel, Canger eel)

Next, Fall (September - November)
Shine Saba (Pickled makerel) Fall - Winter months
Tairagai (Razor Clam) Also good in spring
Sake (Salmon)

Winter (December - February)
Otoro (Really fatty tuna) the cold makes these fish fattier than normal
Hamachi, buti, inada ( Yellowtail) available all year but best in the winter
Madai (Red snapper) Winter to spring months
Hirame (Sole/flounder) Winter to spring months fatter and bigger though hard to find
Akagai (red clam) winter to spring
Hokkigai (Surf Clam) Winter to spring
Torigay (Cockle) Winter to spring
Matsubaguni, zuwai gani (Snow Crab) If your having a california roll this is probably the type of crab used (If not imitation)
Kuzunoko (Herring roe)

Spring (March-May)
Mirugai(Geoduck, horse neck clam or giant clam) February to June
Katsuo (Bonito) Easier to find on the west coast outside of Japan. Also best from February to June

Rare
Tarako (cod,pollock roe) Looks like a tongue and is not very popular outside of japan.
Komochi konbu, kazunoko konbu, komo chi wakame (Herring roe on kelp and seaweed) Delicacy in japan but rare in North America
Soft shell or blue crab. This type of crab is hard to find outside of North America
Dungeness Crab. Mainly found on the Pacific coast of North America
Awabi (Abalone) Protected shellfish thats cultured. This is the type of clam that produces pearls.



There you go. Hope this helps you on your quest of expanding your sushi experience.
Mata ne!

Information found in this post was published.
Sources Sited

Suetsugu, Bobby. Samurai Sushi:A Field Guide To Identifying And Appreciating The World's 4Most Unique Wraps, Rolls, And Sashimi. becker&mayer! Books. Washington. 2005

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