Spring Fish and Seafood
For spring, sea bream
Naruto sea bream swims against the raging currents of the Naruto Straits and is highly praised as a "gem" because is its flesh chewy. Enjoy the best texture as sashimi.
- Japanese seer fish
- Japanese seer fish is in season from late fall to spring. As the name "cold Japanese seer fish" implies, the Kyushu catch is best from January to February, when it is fatty and delicious. In Tokushima Prefecture, fresh and fatty Japanese seer fish can often be caught between April and June by pole and line fishing in the Naruto Straits and Kii Channel.
Fish is usually considered tastier closer to the head, but Japanese seer fish is more appreciated closer to the tail.
- Halfbeak
- Halfbeak is in season from spring to summer, it is highly used as sashimi with silver skin fish(hikarimono). It has a light, elegant taste and is popular among gourmets.
- Tilefish
- It is caught in the southern part of Tokushima Prefecture. There are about five types of tilefish. In short, there are three main types are white, red and yellow,while the white tilefish is said to be the largest and tastiest.
- Shiba shrimp
- It is commonly caught and inexpensive from June to July. During this period when it caught in numbers the central to northern parts of the Tokushima prefecture, such as in Komatsushima, Tsuda, Naruto. It is processed in to dried prawns, a specialty of Tokushima that is famous throughout Japan.
- Red sea bream
- It is in season from winter to early spring and can be caught from Setouchi to Muroto. In particular, the Naruto sea bream which swims against the Naruto rapids, is said to be a gem because of its chewiness. In summer, the red sea bream season is over, and crimson sea bream is in season.
Summer Fish and Seafood
For summer, pike conger
It is said that you cannot enjoy a summer without eating pike conger.
It can be served in a variety of Japanese special dishes such as yubiki hamo, hamo sukiyaki, and dobinmushi steaming.
- Sea bass
- It is a high-end summer fish.It is used for "arai", shredded meat washed in cold or icy water to shrink it, and so on, and can be offered in large quantities.
In winter, the price drops down and it becomes easier to use.
- Cutlass fish
- Local fish are caught in large quantities and many of the freshest fish are caught. It is best grilled with salt or thinly sliced and served raw with sudachi(Japanese lime). The netted fish is inexpensive and a good bargain.
- Pike Conger
- It is said that summer is not complete without eating pike conger. In particular, pike conger caught in Tsuda and Komatsushima are said to be of the best quality and are used in "hamo-sukiyaki". In winter they are often used in "dobin-mushi" (steamed in a clay pot).
- Sweetfish
- It is often caught in the Yoshino River, Katsuura River and Nagawa River. The best period is said to last for 20 days during the summer solstice. Restaurants specialized in sweetfish are located throughout the region and especially popular during the Awaodori dance season. It is said that sweetfish, similar to pike conger and octopus, tastes better after drinking water from the rainy season.
- Japanese whiting
- It is often caught in the lower reaches of the Yoshino River and other shallow waters throughout the Tokushima Prefecture. In recent years,it is also caught in the Seto Inland Sea due to rising sea water temperatures. It’s plain flavor makes it popular in the hot summer months.
- Skipjack tuna
- It migrates into the prefecture on the Kuroshio Current in early summer and is often caught by pole and line fishing in the southern part of the Tokushima Prefecture, including Minami and Muki towns. Rich in vitamins, it is indispensable fish for the table in summer when it is fatty. Due to with high temperature content, it is delicious as "tataki". The entrails are popularly used as salted fish guts sauce called "Shutoh".
- Bigfin reef squid
- It is said that this is the best squid of the summer. It is chewy and sweet in summer and is often freshly caught in the waters around Mugi Town from the southern part of the Tokushima Prefecture to the northern part.
Autumn Fish and Seafood
Fall is full of delicious foods! Fall is full of delicious fish!
Barracuda or cutlassfish grilled with salt and sprinkled sudachi (Japanese lime) juice, awesome!
Sushi topped with whole Japanese butterfish is a local delicacy indispensable to Tokushima's autumn festivals.In the fall, fish also begin to prepare for winter. Species such as butterfish and flounder move into deeper waters where water temperatures are stable variable. In winter, fish store fat to survive the cold and their flesh becomes tighter and richer in flavor.
- Japanese butterfish
- In Tokushima, "Bosé" is a more familiar name for this fish. It is white meat with a light flavor and is suitable not only for grilling, but also for simmering and miso soup. The flavor is even better when it is dried open. Air-drying for about half a day before grilling with salt is also recommended.
- Golden threadfin bream
- It is in season from autumn l to winter, but fishing is scarce. It is often used in bowls because of its beautiful pattern of the skin, and is a delicious, light fish.
- Blue crab
- It is in season from autumn to winter, and the large female crabs are especially tasty. It is not caught in large quantities like crabs from the North Sea and the Sea of Japan, but it has a unique flavor in the tightness and sweetness of its meat. In addition, super-sized hawksbill crabs can also be caught.
- Barracuda
- Blue barracuda are caught in large quantities and are inexpensive, making them ideal for dried fish. Red pike (shakuhachi) with coarse scales and yellowish tail fin are delicious, grilled with salt and sprinkled with sudachi (Japanese lime).
Winter Fish and Seafood
Winter is the end of the year and the beginning of the new year. Every fish is most tasty in its season when freshly caught in winter as well as in summer.
Please enjoy the fish with a tight and fatty coat. We especially recommend the largescale blackfish.
- Flounder
- It is the best fish to eat as sashimi in winter. Flounder caught during the cold season is famous in good taste. It is in season from fall to winter, and the“fringes” and“liver”are the most delicious of all.
- Mullet
- As it is called“kanbora”(cold mullet), it is said to be inexpensive and tasty when it gets fatty and the skin turns yellow during the late fall and winter.“Karasumi”is highly prized as a delicacy.
- Thread-sail filefish
- It is best in winter when the liver is bloated and fresh ones are often caught. It is often used in cooked in pot, but sashimi with the liver is far more excellent.
- Yellowtail
- Caught in the southern part of the Tokushima Prefecture by the Oshiki net fishery, it was an indispensable fish for New Year's holidays, but in recent years,farm-raised fish has become the popular due to a shortage of the fish. Although wild caught fish is tasty, caught of the same species, Hiramasa kanpachi, have been declining.
have been declining
- Gurnard
- It is a white-fleshed fish used in all kinds of dishes, but is especially recommended for cooked in pot.
- Largescale blackfish
- The season for this fish is winter. In the summer, because it is anomnivore which means eats everything, its flesh has a foul odor and is disliked, but in the winter, it eats sea weeds, so the odor disappears and the fish becomes tasty. The rocky shores of southern Tokushima Prefecture are one of the best fishing grounds for largescale blackfish in the Kansai region.
- Green tiger prawn
- A member of the large Japanese tiger prawn family, the catch in Tokushima Prefecture is mainly from winter to spring. When heated, the red coloration and sweetness of the prawn make it one of the most expensive prawns. It has a wide range of uses, including sushi, tempura and fried. All prawn in circulation is wild caught, but the taste of domestically caught live and fresh prawn is worth mentioning. It is also important as a high-grade sushi topping. It is also popular as a tempura prawn.
popular as a tempura prawn