Common name: Mottled spinefoot, Rabbitfish, Pinspotted spinefoot, Sandy spinefoot, Spinefoot, Doctor fish, Dusky rabbitfish, Dusky spinefoot, Fuscous spinefoot, Fuscescens rabbitfish, Slimy, Spinny

Japanese name: Aigo (藍子、阿乙呉),  Bari (バリ)

Taiwan common name: 褐臭肚魚、臭肚、象魚、樹魚、羊鍋、疏網、茄冬仔、象耳 (澎湖)、臭肚仔 (澎湖)、羊矮仔 (澎湖)、盧矮仔 (澎湖)

Scientific name: Siganus fuscescens (Houttuyn, 1782)

Nigiri sushi detail: Mottled spinefoot (Aigo) Nigiri sushi

Feature:

Mottled spinefoot (Aigo) is widely distributed in warm waters south of Iwate Prefecture and in the Indo-West Pacific region. It inhabits shallow-water reefs along the coast. The body length is about 30 cm. The body is oval and laterally flattened. Its body color is yellowish green with irregular white spots. It is nicknamed the “cleaner of the sea” because it eats seaweed clean.

Its flesh is of a quality between red seabream (Madai) and filefish (Kawahagi), and it is also easily fattened. It is especially prized in Tokushima and Wakayama prefectures, although its taste is evaluated differently in each region due to its distinctive smell. Hexanal, a strange odor, is a repellent substance of seaweed and sea grass, which the fish feeds on, in addition to being generated from the decomposition of stored fat. Deblooding immediately after catching and processing during cooking is especially important. It is mainly boiled, grilled with salt, or dried.

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