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White-flesh fish (shiromi)
Lean, delicate white fish — sea bream, flounder, yellowtail family. Subtle and clean; the canvas that rewards a chef's restraint.
Buri
Buri is mature, usually wild Japanese amberjack — the same fish as hamachi, but older, richer and at its melting best as winter 'kanburi'.
魬 hamachiHamachi
Hamachi is young, usually farmed Japanese amberjack — the soft, buttery, mild 'yellowtail' you meet most often at the sushi bar.
平目 hirameHirame
Hirame is olive flounder (fluke) — a lean, delicate white fish at its best in winter. Its thin fin muscle, engawa, is a prized chewy delicacy.
間八 kanpachiKanpachi
Kanpachi is greater amberjack — a leaner, firmer, crisper cousin of hamachi, and a genuinely different species despite sharing the 'yellowtail' label.
鰈 kareiKarei
Karei is the right-eye flounder family — hirame's close cousin, leaner and often at its best in summer (the seasons are flipped). Telling them apart is a classic test.
金目鯛 kinmedaiKinmedai
Kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) is a red-skinned deep-water fish with fatty, gently sweet white flesh — usually served seared skin-on to render the fat beneath.
喉黒 nodoguroNodoguro
Nodoguro is blackthroat seaperch — a luxury white fish so rich it's nicknamed 'white toro'. Intensely fatty, it's usually flame-seared to melt the fat.
鱸 suzukiSuzuki
Suzuki is Japanese sea bass — a light, firm summer white fish with a clean, refreshing flavor, sometimes served arai (ice-shocked) for extra snap.
鯛 taiTai
Tai (madai) is red sea bream — Japan's celebratory white fish: firm, clean, subtly sweet, best in spring. Often called 'red snapper' on menus, but it's a different fish.