【Reading】わかし

【English Name】Wakashi (young yellowtail)

Wakashi is the name used in the Kanto region for the juvenile form of the Japanese amberjack (buri; scientific name Seriola quinqueradiata), referring to individuals up to 35 cm in length. Buri is a classic example of a 'shusse-uo' (a fish called by different names at successive growth stages), and in Kanto the names change in the order wakashi → inada → warasa → buri.

It is written with a kanji combining the 'fish' radical with the character for 'summer,' literally indicating that summer is its peak season. Fry hatched in early spring grow up using drifting seaweed as their habitat, and in summer they migrate to coastal waters and actively chase after sardines and the like. Wakashi are caught in such seasonal fishing.

Compared with the adult buri, it has less fat and a lighter, more delicate flavor. As a sushi topping it is sometimes prepared as nigiri or sashimi, offering the light mouthfeel unique to summer. In the Kansai region, individuals of the same size are called tsubasu or wakana—another interesting feature of the amberjack family, whose names vary greatly by region.