Shira-uo 白魚

The slender, transparent icefish lives for only a single year. It is said to spawn in spring and end its life there. As sushi, several of them are most often arranged on top of a gunkan-maki (battleship roll). Large icefish are extremely precious, and those served as nigiri rather than gunkan are regarded as a luxury.

The flavour is very delicate and at first seems to have no real character, but the more you eat, the more you can sense its distinctive bitterness, sweetness and aroma. The icefish is highly prized, yet it is also true that, as sushi, it inevitably lacks impact compared with other toppings; it does not seem to win much support from younger diners. If you can discover its value, that may well be proof that you have become a true connoisseur of sushi.

Origin: Hokkaido, Aomori, Okayama, Kumamoto and others Season: From autumn into winter