Common name: Japanese barracuda, Sea pike, Snoek, Japansk barracuda

Japanese name: Yamatokamasu (大和叺、大和梭子魚)

Taiwan common name: 日本金梭魚、大眼梭子魚、倭鮊、竹操魚、針梭、竹梭、巴拉庫答、梭仔、細鱗梭仔

Chinese common name: 日本魣

Korean common name: 애꼬치

Scientific name: Sphyraena japonica Bloch and Schneider,1801

Nigiri sushi detail: Japanese barracuda (Yamatokamasu) Nigiri sushi

Characteristics:

Japanese barracuda (Yamatokamasu) is distributed from the central Honshu coast to the South China Sea. It inhabits shallow coastal waters to the continental shelf. The body length is 25 cm. The beak is protruding and the body is elongated. It proliferates, reaching adulthood in one year, and resembles the red barracuda (Akakamasu), but is distinguished by the fact that its ventral fin is just below the first dorsal fin. Akakamasu has yellowish scales and larger scales, while Yamatokamasu has bluish scales and smaller scales. Another name for it is Mizukamasu (Mizu means water).

Yamatokamasu is softer than other barracuda, and its scales peel off more easily, causing it to lose its freshness more quickly. Originally, it has little flavor, but by salting it and letting it rest overnight, the flavor is concentrated, and by heating it, such as frying, the excess moisture is removed, resulting in a fluffy texture. Otherwise, it is grilled with salt or dried. However, Akakamasu is used for Nigiri sushi, not Yamatokamasu.

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