Seafood ── Fish
Shimaaji
striped jack — a rare relative of the horse mackerel valued at sushi counters
One of the priciest fish in the jack family, especially scarce in the wild. Its crisp raw texture makes it a prized sushi topping — calm, well-flushed bays support aquaculture, and farmed fish are often compared against the rarer wild catch.
- White fish
Lineage
What it's made of
One of the priciest fish in the jack family, with the wild catch said to reach markets only rarely. The flesh has a pronounced crisp bite, and the fat is refined without being heavy. As sushi, the texture alone becomes the draw, sweetening with every chew. A layer of fat just under the skin is said to be the secret behind that bite.
How it's made
Aquaculture built around calm, well-flushed waters has developed to raise it carefully from fry. Because wild fish are scarce and expensive, farmed shimaaji is what usually reaches the table. Wild and farmed fish are said to differ in firmness and fat quality, a comparison often brought up by name. The conditions inside the net pens, from feed to current, are said to shape the flavor directly.
Why it took this shape
A calm, well-flushed bay like the Uwa Sea is said to make ideal aquaculture conditions for shimaaji. Ainan in Ehime Prefecture has leaned on that geography to become one of Japan's leading producers, and with wild fish so scarce, accumulated farming know-how is what has carried this fish's reputation. A coastline of nested ria inlets is said to be exactly what farming here depends on.
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: Ehime, Ainan
Calm waters in the Uwa Sea suit aquaculture well, making this town one of Japan's leading producers of farmed shimaaji.