Reading Seafood Labels

Being here in Japan, you'd figure that the Yokosuka commissary would stock some great fresh fish, since there are seafood markets all over. The commissary does get some local products including produce, however, seafood is not procured from local sources. The commissary choices are limited to frozen fish and none of it looks very appetizing. But just a short walk or drive away you can get your hands on some of that seafood sold to the seafood loving Japanese. Some of the places you can go to buy fresh seafood out in town are:

1. Fish market in Mikasa shopping mall - this is a relatively small store about halfway through the plaza

2. Daiei Shoppers Plaza - Daiea has a large food market and the seafood selection is pretty good. Good choice since you can easily park near the gate and walk or you can drive there as well. Parking is free if you get your ticket validated.
3. Basement of More's City under Yokosuka Chuo station
4. Livin department and grocery store

5. AVE grocery store. This is our favorite and the selection is extensive. This also happens to be the place you can buy a tuna head (huge) if you'd like to try to cook one at home. More on that in a separate post.
Only listed 5 and there are many more, but I've hit some of the big ones and the ones close to base.

Pacific Sea  Bream farm raised

Kinme - see below. This one is written in Hiragana. 

Japanese Spanish Mackerel

Tako. Octopus

When you visit these places, it will be easy to pick out certain fish because you'll recognize them. Shrimp, salmon, octopus and scallops - no problem. The other types of fish though are numerous and you'll be guessing what they are unless you bring someone along that can read or speak Japanese. The only way around this is to learn some Japanese and to get a few Japanese apps for your phone. Once you do this you can type in the Hiragana or Katakana and look it up on your phone or look up the Kanji characters. The photos above are from Saikaya Market.

The type of fish is listed on the top left on these labels for the fish above. For the fish below the type of fish is on the top right of the labels.
For most of the packages, the prefecture where the fish is from is listed in the parenthesis (above) or in the black shaded area (below pictures). A prefecture map of Japan (there is a good standalone online map app for that called "Japan Map") would be useful if you want to know where your food comes from. The Japanese do this for many of their products. The Kanji for prefecture is 県 and it's the 3rd Kanji in most of the labels above. The last Kanji 産 means product. So xx prefecture product. One thing to watch for is products from China "中国" - (literally, Middle or Center Country, from ancient Chinese history when they thought they were the center of civilization) this does not mean that they are bad, but many fish from China are grown on fish farms and some people may not want farm raised fish. 

Tresus Keenae (type of surf clam). Green label says for sashimi use

Go ahead. Try it and then tell me how you ate this.

Mekajiki - swordfish

Shark Skin Flounder or Roughscale Flounder

Pacific Sea Bream

Buri from Kagoshima prefecture.  They also go by Hamachi or Amberjack.  It's interesting that most of these fish are farmed and the process of farming them. The fishermen will go out and capture the small fry that are hiding under floating seaweed.  They are mainly harvested near the Koshiki Islands which are south of Nagasaki. The months to harvest are in April and May. They will then raise them until they are a bit larger in cages/nets in the ocean, then sell them farmers. It will take two to three years to grow them to the 5kg weight. 

Coho Salmon (literally from the Kanji - Silver Salmon) from Miyagi prefecture. The Kanji in the parenthesis means it is farm raised - aquaculture.  The amberjack above is also aquaculture. 

Madara or Pacific Cod from America. "Big pack." In the parenthesis it says defrosted. 

Pacific Cod from America. Small pack. Defrosted.

Pacific Cod, deskinned, from Miyagi Prefecture.

Black flounder from Hokkaido Prefecture.

Red flounder from Nagasaki Prefecture. 

Kinmedai or "splendid alfonsino." Kinme means golden eye although you can't see them here. From Shizuoka Prefecture. 

 Masaba or chub mackerel. From Chiba Prefecture.

Marbeled flounder. The black label says "Morning catch" and the green label says sashimi use.

Morning catch Kamasu or Barracuda. For sashimi use says the green label. 

Kawahagi or Stephanolepis cirrhifer or threadsail filefish. Very interesting fish. You'll often see them sliced very thin and put on a plate such that you can see through the slices. Often confused by people like me with the poisonous fugu which is also presented the same way.  In fact I learned this replaces fugu when fugu is out of season. The kanji literally means leather skin and in Australia where they are considered a pest they are called leatherjackets.

Red tonguesole from Yamaguchi Prefecture. 

Clich here for a google map to the markets discussed above.