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Green ling (Ainame)

【Nigiri sushi: Shiromi】
What is Ainame?
Ainame (Green ling) is distributed throughout Japan, the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and along the coast of the Yellow Sea. They grow to 40 cm in length and live in shore reefs. During spawning season, the male's body turns bright yellow and he establishes a territory to watch over the eggs laid by the female until they hatch.

It can be caught all over Japan throughout the year, but spring and summer are the best times to catch them. The spawning season occurs from fall to winter, during which time the taste of the fish drops.

The rich sweetness and umami of the fat of this fish are not commonly found in whitefish. It also doesn’t have a lingering aftertaste, so it is a thoroughly enjoyable topping. The Green Ling loses its freshness particularly quickly, so it is a rare treat to find it on a nigiri sushi menu.The skin has umami and can be made into a Yakishimozukuri*. This adds a fragrant scent and results in an even more delicious Nigiri sushi.

*A cooking method of grilling fish fillet with a little bit of skin left, over high heat for a short time and cooling it down. Its purpose is to transfer the roasted skin fat into the meat. Used mainly for fish with thick and hard skin, like Mackerel (Saba) and Chicken grunt (Isaki).

Also called Fat cod or Fat greenling.

【Substitute fish】
Coryphaenoides pectoralis (Gilbert, 1891)
Coryphaenoides longifilis

(Revision date: December 30, 2023)