【Reading】ささぎり / きどり

【English Name】Sakudori / Kidori / cut up to fish block

Sakudori refers to the preparatory process of cutting fish meat into shapes suitable for sashimi and sushi. In kanji it is written as saku-tori, and it also has the alternate name kidori.

The basic procedure begins from the state in which the fish has been filleted into three pieces (san-mai oroshi). The belly bones and bloodline bones are carefully removed, the skin is pulled off, and the meat is trimmed to a size suited to its use. The rectangular block of meat thus cut out is itself called a saku, and it often circulates and is stored in this state, ready just before sashimi is sliced.

The process differs depending on the size of the fish. For medium-sized fish such as flounder (hirame) and sea bass (suzuki), it suffices to process the bones and skin from the filleted meat, but for large fish such as yellowtail (buri) and bonito (katsuo), the meat is divided into upper and lower portions at the bloodline, creating a state called fushi. For fish as large as tuna, it is further divided by part, such as akami (lean) and toro (fatty).

Because the way the saku is taken directly affects the finish of the sashimi, it is regarded as one of the important fundamental techniques for a sushi artisan.