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Barred knifejaw (Ishidai)

【Nigiri sushi: Shiromi】
What is ishidai?
Ishidai (Barred knifejaw) is widely distributed from the entire coast of Hokkaido to the southern coast of Kyushu, except for the southern part of the Chitose Islands. They are scarce in the Sea of Japan and abundant in the temperate zone from the Boso Peninsula to the southern coast of Kyushu.

The pink color and vivid stripes on the skin of this fish are beautiful and make it stand out as a sushi topping. It has an obvious sweetness and chewiness. This is a high-quality fish that is hard to come by naturally and traded at market value.

Also called Rock bream or striped beakperch or striped knifejaw or barred knifejaw.

【Trivia】
There is much fish that look similar to the Red seabream, and many redfish are given similar names (in Japanese, ending in “-Tai”). It seems everyone wants a piece of the Red seabream’s popularity. The Splendid alfonsino (Kinmedai), which has large eyes, and the Golden Tilefish (Amadai), which has a large head and a straight body shape, are not fish that can be used in sea bream dishes. Of these “fake sea bream”, Barred knifejaw (Ishidai) is a good sushi topping.

【Related contents】
What is Spotted knifejaw (Ishigakidai) sushi?