Seafood ── Fish
Karei
flounder — a broad family of flatfish eaten simmered or fried
A broad family of flatfish, distinguished from hirame by 'eyes on the right'. Enjoyed simmered or deep-fried — colder-water species tend to run fattier, and both season and source vary widely across the many types sold under this name.
- White fish
What it's made of
A broad family of flatfish with eyes on the right, whose flavor and season vary widely by species. Makogarei and magarei run mild and white, falling apart tender when simmered, with a gelatinous richness under the skin — and roe-bearing females pair the roe's texture against the flesh's plainness, with different species peaking anywhere from spring to winter.
How it's made
Its thin flesh suits simmering bone-in to hold in flavor, served with the braising liquid itself. Deep-fried versions are often cooked through enough to eat the small bones, and since thickness varies by species, how carefully it's prepped shapes the final dish. With roe-bearing females, timing the simmer matters too, so the eggs don't overcook.
Why it took this shape
Colder-water species tend to run fattier, and since each species favors a different water temperature and seabed, the type of karei available — and its flavor — shifts by region. Kushiro in Hokkaido, cooled by the Oyashio current, is known for landing especially fatty karei. Under the same name, karei from one sea can taste like an entirely different fish from another.
Before you go
- How to shop at a supermarketHow to choose prepared foods, sashimi, and packaged sushi, when discount stickers tend to appear, region-only specialties, buying by weight, the checkout and bagging flow, and sampling etiquette at a local supermarket.
- Roadside stations, direct-sale stands, and marketsHow to enjoy buying food near where it's produced, visiting and shopping at morning markets and fish markets, what to expect at farm stands, and finding local food at roadside stations (michi-no-eki).
- Foods to look for in springA guide to foods often seen in Japan around spring — early bonito, bamboo shoots, sakura mochi, hanami bento, new-season tea, and butterbur sprouts — with rough pointers for finding them.
Dishes in the same style
- AinameA white-fleshed fish of rocky shores, served raw or simmered in old Edomae style. Sedentary by nature, it varies by region, and in some Tohoku ports its liver is eaten too — a fish long prized as a local catch.
- AmadaiA pink-skinned fish with a subtle sweetness, known in Kyoto as 'guji'. Fish caught in Wakasa Bay were lightly salted and carried inland along the old Saba Kaido route, a history that made lightly-salted Wakasa amadai prized in Kyoto cuisine.