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Pacific cod (Madara)

【Nigiri sushi: Shiromi】
What is Madara?
Of the approximately 30 types of cod, the Madara (Pacific cod), Sukesoudara (Alaska pollack) and Komai (Saffron cod) are the three types found in Japan. The hauls for all three have decreased due to overfishing and the situation has become serious. Cod in Japan generally refers to Madara. The Madara is a really big eater, but its fat content is very low considering. About 80% is water content and it loses its freshness very easily.

Sukesoudara (Alaska Pollack) ovaries are distributed as tarako and Madara testes are distributed as shirako. Shirako is good boiled, then served with ponzu and grated daikon radish. It is also delicious in miso soup.

Madara is the cod used as a sushi topping. Because it is soft and watery, it is not used raw. The fish is cut and divided, salted and then sandwiched between kelp to transfer the flavor and fragrance. In other words, kobujime is performed on the Madara before it is used. That is how plain the cod is. It is a fish that lives in the cold sea waters and until recently it was never used as an Edomae sushi topping. Nowadays, in rare cases cod that has been killed using Ikejime before taken to the market is used in Edomae sushi.

Also called Cod or Gray cod or Pacific cod or Codfish.

【Substitute fish】
Cape hake: Merluccius capensis Castelnau
Blue Hake, Hoki and New Zealand Whip-tail: Macruronus novaezelandiae (Hector, 1871)
Southern blue whiting: Micromesistius australis Norman, 1937
Largemouth bass (Black bass): Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède,1802)

【Related contents】
List of White flesh fish (Shiromi)