What is shishamo in sushi?シシャモ
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi shishamo.
How to call shishamo
【shishamo】smelt シシャモ
Shishamo is a type of migratory fish that has the characteristic of migrating to the sea after spawning and then returning to the river. Shishamo is called susamu or susamu in Ainu language. It is thought that this is where the etymology of the word came from. In Hokkaido, it is called shishuhamo,” and in the Kanto area, it is calledhonshishamo.”
The peak season for shishamo
The season for capelin varies depending on the type. We will introduce each season below.
Shishamo: The best season for shishamo is from October to November. Females who store eggs during this period are called brood-bearing shishamo. This shishamo is distributed only in the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean in Hokkaido, such as Kushiro and Tokachi. Only about 700 tons are caught throughout the year, so it is not widely available in supermarkets. Online shopping sells for around 1,000 yen per 10 fish.
Capelin: There is no particular season for capelin. The main producing areas are Norway and Canada, and approximately 30,000 tons are imported to Japan annually. In addition, because the amount of shishamo that is imported is larger than the amount of shishamo caught, most of the shishamo sold domestically as capelin with young are capelin. Female capelin that has stored eggs can be purchased at supermarkets for around 220 yen per 100g.
