What is maguro in sushi?鮪
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi maguro.
How to call maguro
【maguro】tuna マグロ 鮪
First of all, tuna often refers to the subspecies “bluefin tuna.” Other tuna species are also known, such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, southern bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, and albacore. Bluefin tuna, the most popular type of tuna, has another name. In some regions, young fish are called Yoko, Yokowa, Meji, Hissage, and adults are called Bluefin tuna, Shibi, etc. The origin of the name tuna is that the tuna’s eyes are black, so the word meguro” was deformed and becametuna”, and the name tuna is said to be completely black when viewed from above while swimming. There is a famous theory that it was named tuna because of this.
The peak season for maguro
The season for tuna varies depending on the type and location where it is caught. Below we will introduce the main types of tuna and their seasons.
Bluefin tuna (bluefin tuna): Those caught in the waters around Japan are in season mainly during the winter season (December to January).
Southern bluefin tuna (Indian tuna): Lives only in the southern hemisphere. When southern bluefin tuna caught in the waters around Australia and New Zealand is imported in “raw” form, the best season is from spring to summer (April to June).
Bigeye tuna: Bigeye tuna caught in the waters around Japan is in season from autumn to winter (October to December).
Yellowfin tuna: Yellowfin tuna is loved mainly in western Japan. Yellowfin tuna is mainly produced in Kyushu and Shikoku, and is in season mainly in summer (June to August).
Albacore tuna (albacore tuna): Albacore tuna caught in the waters around Japan is in season from autumn to winter (August to December), but there is no big difference in fat content throughout the year.
Furthermore, the concept of seasonality is not very applicable to frozen tuna or farmed tuna. Frozen tuna is flash-frozen on board the ship where it is landed, and then stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer to maintain its freshness. Therefore, when purchasing frozen tuna, it is difficult to know when and where it is landed and to determine whether it is in season. Because farmed tuna is constantly fed with abundant food, it is shipped as a fatty tuna regardless of the season. Therefore, there is no season for farmed tuna. Please refer to this information and enjoy fresh and delicious tuna.
