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Flying fish (Tobiuo)

【Nigiri sushi: Hikarimono】
Flying fish (Tobiuo) is distributed south of central Honshu and around Taiwan. It inhabits the surface layer from the coast to offshore. The body is long and slender, with a flat back and a narrow, pointed ventral side. Pectoral fins are large and wing-like, used for flying above the sea surface.

Their short digestive organs and large buoyant pouches make them light in weight, and their structure is suitable for flight. They usually migrate in groups near the surface of the sea. Their flight range is said to be 100 to 400 meters, with a height of up to 2 meters.

The digestive tract of flying fish is small and the food is expelled immediately, so it does not lose its freshness easily. The freshest ones make excellent sashimi. Flying fish is a blue fish, but it has a light flavor. It is served raw as Nigiri sushi, but can also be seared or made into sujime. Other uses include salted and grilled, deep-fried, soup, and Tottori Prefecture's specialty, high-grade chikuwa. Smaller fish and juvenile fish are dried and used in soup stock.

【Related contents】
List of Silver-skinned fish (Hikarimono)