Common name: Malabar grouper, Blackspot rockcod, Estuary rockcod, Giant rock cod, Greasy grouper, Malabar rockcod, Morgan’s cod Speckled grouper

Japanese name: Yaitohata (灸羽太)

Taiwan common name: 馬拉巴、石斑、土斑、過魚、來貓、厲麻、虎麻、青斑、黑點、鱸魚麻、厲麻鱠

Scientific name: Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch and Schneider,1801)

Nigiri sushi detail: Malabar grouper (Yaitohata) Nigiri sushi

Characteristics:

Malabar grouper (Yaitohata) is distributed in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, south of Wakayama Prefecture. It inhabits shallow reef areas such as inner bays. The body length is 70~80 cm, reaching up to 1 m. The body is rather long and laterally flattened. As a juvenile, it has five dark brown stripes running horizontally, interspersed with small blackish brown spots. As they mature, the horizontal bands become indistinct, the spots become smaller, and their number increases.

Yaitohata and giant grouper (Tamakai) are often confused with longtooth grouper (Kue) among anglers. Although inferior to Kue, it is rich in collagen and the white meat is light with an exquisite mildness and sweetness. In Okinawa, it is a high-end fish called Mibai, and is used in a variety of dishes such as sashimi, fish soup, and simmered dishes because of its flavor.

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