鰹 · カツオ · katsuo
Katsuo
Katsuo (skipjack bonito) is a deep-red, lean relative of tuna with a bold, irony flavor — classically seared as tataki. It marks two seasons: spring's first catch and autumn's fatty return.
- Also known as
- bonito, skipjack, tataki
- Species
- Katsuwonus pelamis (Skipjack tuna)
- Category
- Red-flesh fish (akami)
- Texture
- firm — bold, irony, smoky when seared
- Peak season
- Apr, May, Sep, Oct
- Sustainability
- varies — Pole-and-line skipjack is a Best Choice; purse-seine/FAD-caught rates lower.
- Mercury
- Not in the FDA consumer table
- Pregnancy
- Eat in moderation
- Price tier
- $$
Tuna’s bolder cousin
Katsuo is skipjack bonito — leaner, darker and more intensely iron-flavored than maguro. It’s most often served as tataki: the outside seared over straw or flame, the inside left raw, then dressed with grated ginger, garlic, myōga and ponzu to meet its boldness head-on.
A fish of two seasons
Katsuo defines the Japanese calendar twice. Hatsu-gatsuo — the first bonito of spring — is lean and clean, historically so coveted that Edoites would pawn possessions for the first slice. Modori-gatsuo — the “returning” autumn fish — comes back fat and rich after a summer of feeding.
Beyond sushi
Dried, smoked and fermented, katsuo becomes katsuobushi — the shavings whose smoky depth is the backbone of dashi, and therefore of Japanese cooking itself.