【Reading】あじ

【English Name】Horse Mackerel

Aji is a collective term for fish belonging to the subfamily Caranginae of the family Carangidae, and in Japan generally means the Japanese horse mackerel (ma-aji; scientific name: Trachurus japonicus). Its habitat spreads widely from Hokkaido as a starting point all the way to the South China Sea, and it has long been deeply rooted in Japan's food culture.

A major characteristic is the hard projections called "zengo" (scutes / ryorin) lined along the body's flanks, which serve as a morphological indicator when identifying the subfamily Caranginae from other fish groups. The body shape differs by species, with a wide variety ranging from a flat leaf shape to a streamlined form.

As a sushi topping, it is classified as a silver-skinned fish (hikari-mono). The flesh takes on a pinkish hue and, with moderate fat, has a flavor intermediate between red-fleshed and white-fleshed fish. In nigiri, finishes that make use of the skin surface are common, and the standard style is to add ginger and green onion as condiments (yakumi). In addition to raw preparations such as sashimi, tataki, and namero, it widely appears on the table as dried fish (himono) and fried.

The origin of the name is said to be based on "aji ga yoi" (the taste is good), and there are also various theories about the character 参 contained in the kanji 鯵. Besides the theory that it is because the old-calendar third month is its peak season, there are also several legends remaining, such as that it is so delicious that one is overwhelmed (mairu).