Iwashi 鰯

This is one of the fish most deeply rooted in Japanese food culture — sardines are said to have once made up as much as 30% of Japan's entire catch. As a sushi topping its flavour is superb, with flesh softer than other blue-backed fish such as horse-mackerel and a slightly sweet finish on the tongue.

As with horse-mackerel, it is often garnished with chopped green onion and the like.

In recent years the catch has been falling in Japan, apparently part of a low-catch cycle, so a nearly identical fish — the California pilchard — is imported from the United States and used in processed foods.

Origin: Ibaraki, Chiba, Shimane, Shikoku and others Season: Summer