What is sanma in sushi?秋刀魚
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi sanma.
How to call sanma
【sanma】saury サンマ 秋刀魚
The origin of the name saury fish” is said to be from the dialect calledsamana” in the Tohoku region of Japan, and another theory is that it comes from the word sawangma”, which describes the way saury fish swim in large schools. In some regions, the saury fish is also calledsaira,” but this is the name by which it was called in ancient times in a part of the Kii Peninsula. In Mie Prefecture, salt-dried products are called “saira”. In Kyoto, the fish are called sayora,” in Shizuoka, the young fish are calledhariko,” and in Shizuoka Prefecture, the young fish are called “tobari,” among other names.
The peak season for sanma
The season for saury is from September to November. The saury fish caught at this time of year have plenty of fat and are said to be extremely delicious. In Hokkaido in particular, fishing begins in late July, but the best time to fish is mid-September, when prices have calmed down.
Autumn sword fish are born in the waters around the Kuroshio Current from autumn to spring, and migrate northward as they grow. Then, from summer to fall, they begin to migrate south. The peak season is from September to November when the fish pass from Hokkaido to the Sanriku coast, and the saury fish during this period are the fattiest of the year and are extremely delicious.
