Seafood ── Fish
Nodoguro
blackthroat seaperch — a deep-red fish nicknamed 'nodoguro' for its black throat
A deep-sea fish nicknamed for the black patch inside its throat. Rich and fatty, served as seared sushi or salt-grilled — ports facing the Sea of Japan's steep seabed land it by pole-and-line and trawl, selling it under regional brand names.
- White fish
What it's made of
A deep-sea fish nicknamed for the black patch inside its throat, its richness earning it the nickname 'toro of white fish'. Seared as sushi, that fat crisps into extra aroma; salt-grilled, fat under the skin renders out with a sizzle — and the flesh itself is soft enough to fall apart at a touch of chopsticks. It peaks in the depths of winter, when fat content runs highest all year.
How it's made
Taken by pole-and-line or trawl, how it's handled coming up from deep water is said to shape its texture. Because it's so fatty, grilling usually scores the skin first to render off excess fat as it cooks, and for sashimi it's often cut in thick slices along the bone to make the most of that richness. Once landed, it's chilled quickly so the fat doesn't start to break down.
Why it took this shape
The Sea of Japan off Hamada in Shimane drops away steeply close to shore, giving boats short access to the depths this fish favors — a fishing ground said to owe its richness to that terrain. Pole-and-line and trawl fishing built around that advantage made it the centerpiece of the local 'Donchicchi' brand, and it's that steep seabed alone that keeps this deep-sea delicacy within easy reach.
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.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known for it here
- Known for it here: Shimane, Hamada
Facing a rich fishing ground over the Sea of Japan's steep seabed, the city markets its pole-and-line and trawl catch under the 'Donchicchi' brand.
Contrast
- KinmedaiA vivid red deep-sea fish, richly fatty when simmered or served raw. Coasts where the seabed drops away steeply support pole-and-line fishing close to shore, and the short trip back to port helps land it fresh enough to fetch premium prices.
- KinkiA deep-red fish from the cold, deep waters of the north, exceptionally fatty and richly flavored when simmered. Living hundreds of meters down, it is caught in only limited numbers, and just a few ports with grounds that deep land it reliably.