White flesh
Longtooth grouper (Kue)
【Nigiri sushi: Shiromi】
What is Kue?
Kue (Longtooth grouper) is distributed from southern Japan to the southwestern Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the Philippines. It inhabits shallow to deep reef areas along the coast. It is a large grouper, reaching 1.3 m in length and 10 kg in weight. The season is from fall to winter; Kue is a large fish that is seldom caught and is rarely found on the market. Wild Kue is very scarce and expensive, sometimes exceeding US$150 per kg. Therefore, farmed Kue is available in the market, and its price is stable at around US$25~35 per kg.
Some say that the name "kue" came from the pattern on the adult fish's body, which looks like dirt.
What does Kue (Longtooth grouper) nigiri sushi taste like?
Expensive sushi ingredient of juicy and fine-textured fish. Firmness and light tastiness can be enjoyed. Very scarce ingredient that can rarely be seen at even fancy sushi restaurant counter. If you find one, don’t miss the opportunity to try it.
Trivia : In Kyushu area, they call Longtooth grouper (Kue) as Rock-cod (Ara). So people often get confused by how they call them, however they are totally different kinds of fish.
Also called Kelp bass or Saladfish or Kelp grouper.
(Revision date: January 17, 2024)