Sushi in all seasons

Japan is a country surrounded by the ocean. The Sea of ​​Japan is famous for its abundant seafood resources. This is a favorite ingredient for the Japanese to prepare dishes that are distinctly Japanese and are also the most well-known Japanese dish in the world: sushi.

The Japanese eat sushi year-round, but they choose different types of sushi to enjoy each season. Let's find out what ingredients the Japanese typically use to make sushi in each season!

Spring

In spring, the Japanese typically eat five types of seafood sushi: hama-guri, sayori, tori-gai, miru-gai, and kisu.

Hama-guri are a type of hard-shelled mussel. The mussel meat is seasoned, boiled, and then placed on top of rice to create the delicious dish nigiri-zushi.

Sayori are long, slender fish that live along the coast of Japan. They have a rather peculiar shape with an oversized, sword-like chin. The fish meat is salted and then rinsed with vinegar. Often, a small amount of minced shrimp mixed with seasoning is placed in the center of the sushi, making the dish even more appealing.

Tori-gai is a type of Japanese sea scallop. Beneath its shell, the scallop is purple and about 10 cm long. It is an ideal ingredient for sushi because tori-gai has a sweet, rich, lean meat and is very high in protein.

Miru-gai is a general term for shellfish such as shrimp, crab, clams, oysters, mussels, etc.

Kisu is a Japanese black sea fish that can be found anywhere along the Japanese coast except in the waters of Okinawa. Its flesh is white, delicious, and sweet. Besides being used in sushi, kisu is also very tasty when cooked in oil, such as in tempura.

Summer

In the summer, the Japanese typically make four types of seafood sushi: awabi, suzuki, anago, and aji.

Awabi is abalone, a type of seafood known for its delicious taste and nutritional value, but it is quite expensive. There are many ways to prepare awabi in sushi: it can be eaten raw, steamed, or boiled... all are perfectly suitable.

Suzuki is a type of sea bass, a very common fish worldwide. Suzuki tastes best in the summer, and it is often used to prepare sashimi and sushi in Japan.

Anago is the Japanese sea eel, also known as the sea eel. It's a very popular seafood among Japanese people. Compared to freshwater eels (unagi), anago is less slimy and less fatty. Sea eels are often boiled before being used to make sushi.

Aji refers to Japanese tuna. The fish meat is washed with vinegar, then seasoned to enhance its flavor. Ginger and herbs are often placed in the center of the sushi to add color and flavor.

Autumn

In autumn, the Japanese eat three types of sushi: kampachi, kohada, and saba.

In Japanese, the name of this kampachi fish changes as it grows: hiramasa (in summer when the fish is young), kampachi (autumn), and finally buri (winter). This kampachi fish has a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, which are very good for human health.

Kohada is a type of spotted herring or sardine. Sushi made from kohada is very popular and is even known as the "king" of edomae sushi. Like kampachi, the name of this fish changes according to its size: shinko (in spring, when the fish are small), followed by kohada (summer), nagazumi (autumn), and finally konoshiro (winter). Of these, shinko is the most expensive, because as it grows larger, kohada becomes bonier and tougher.

Saba is mackerel. When used to make sushi, the fish meat is usually marinated with spices and vinegar. The properties of the vinegar enhance the richness of the fish and reduce the fishy taste when eaten raw.

Winter

In winter, the Japanese eat seafood sushi dishes such as ika, aka-gai, hirame, and tako (made from octopus).

Ika refers to squid, which can be prepared into many delicious sushi dishes, such as nigiri-zushi, where a thin slice of squid is placed on top of a ball of rice. Ika can also be prepared in the traditional edomae sushi style: rice is mixed with kampyo (dried zucchini), seaweed, and yuzu (citron peel), all stuffed inside the squid and then cut into bite-sized pieces. This unique type of sushi is called inrō-zume.

Aka-gai are large mussels. With their striking, appetizing colors and sweet, tender meat, sushi made from aka-gai is a popular choice for many.

Hirame is flounder. After being prepared, the fish meat is thinly sliced ​​and placed on top of a rice ball, usually with a little soy sauce and a few drops of lemon juice drizzled over the fish to enhance its fresh flavor.

Tako is octopus. In the edomae sushi recipe, the octopus meat is boiled in salt water, sliced ​​thinly, and then placed on top of the rice ball. When enjoying this type of sushi, you need to chew thoroughly to appreciate the sweetness of the sushi.

Other types of sushi throughout the year

In addition, there are sushi varieties that can be eaten year-round, such as uni, maguro, kuruma ebi, tamago, and kampyo-maki.

Uni refers to sea urchins, which have a rather unusual shape with a round body and long spines like land hedgehogs. The yellow flesh inside the sea urchin is commonly used in cooking. Sea urchins are often used to make gunkan-maki (a type of sushi where rice is wrapped in seaweed).

Maguro is tuna. With its vibrant red flesh, sushi made from tuna looks incredibly appetizing, doesn't it? Furthermore, tuna meat is lean, low in fat, delicious, and nutritious. It's also a common ingredient in various types of sushi.

Kuruma ebi is lobster, which can be enjoyed raw or boiled. The lobster is then peeled and a slit is made along its belly. Rice is placed in the middle of this slit. And that's how nigiri-zushi is ready.

Tamago is sushi prepared with an omelet. The golden omelet is combined with rice and then presented in many beautiful and unique ways, making sushi with tamago truly appealing.

Kampyo-maki is a type of rolled squash. Dried squash, after being soaked in water to rehydrate, is rolled in seaweed along with rice. Can you recognize what type of sushi kampyo-maki is? It's hosomaki, a type of sushi roll that uses only one ingredient rolled in rice and seaweed.

Man Nhi