What is shirasu in sushi?白子
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi shirasu.
How to call shirasu
【shirasu】small, young sardine; also called chirimenjako in Western Japan シラス 白子
Whitebait does not refer to a specific species of fish, but rather refers to a whitish, transparent young fish. Fish species include anchovies, sardines, Japanese anchovies, sweetfish, and herring. Among them, the fish species often used for whitebait is young sardines. Also, a food that uses whitebait is known as whitebait dried,” but in the Kansai region it is calledchilimen.” In addition, shirasu-boshi is sometimes called Yawa-boshi” orYawa-in” in the Kansai region, and “Kachiri” in the Kanto region.
The peak season for shirasu
The season for whitebait varies depending on the production area, but generally it is in season from spring to early summer and autumn. The specific production areas and their best seasons are as follows.
Hyogo Prefecture: Spring from April to May, autumn from mid-September to November
Shizuoka Prefecture: Peak season from late March to October, especially from June to September
Kanagawa Prefecture: April to May
Oita Prefecture: September to October
Aichi Prefecture: June to August
