鰈 · カレイ · karei
Karei
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.
- Also known as
- flounder, right-eye flounder, dab, sole
- Species
- Pleuronectidae (Righteye flounders)
- Category
- White-flesh fish (shiromi)
- Texture
- firm — clean, mild, lean
- Peak season
- May, Jun, Jul
- Sustainability
- varies — Many flounder/sole stocks are managed; status varies by species and region.
- Mercury
- Not in the FDA consumer table
- Pregnancy
- Eat in moderation
- Price tier
- $$
Hirame’s mirror image
Karei covers the right-eye flounders (family Pleuronectidae) — lean white flatfish much like hirame, often a touch firmer and milder. The two look so alike that Japan has a mnemonic for them.
Left-eye, right-eye
“Hidari-hirame, migi-karei” — left-eye hirame, right-eye karei. Lay the fish dark-side-up with the tail toward you: if the eyes are on the left it’s hirame, on the right it’s karei. (Nature breaks the rule occasionally, but it holds well enough.)
Flipped seasons
Conveniently, many karei peak in summer, just as winter’s hirame and hoshigarei fade — so the flatfish family covers the calendar between them.