【Reading】とびうお

【English Name】Flying Fish

Tobiuo (flying fish) is a saltwater fish belonging to the family Exocoetidae of the order Beloniformes, with about 50 species known in the temperate to subtropical seas of the world. Nearly 30 species are also confirmed in the seas around Japan, and in Shimane Prefecture it is recognized as the prefectural fish.

Most are 30 cm or less in body length, but among large species there are also individuals exceeding 40 cm. With an indigo back and white belly, the origin of its name is the way it spreads its greatly developed pectoral fins like wings and glides over the sea. Its gliding distance is usually about 100 to 300 m, and its speed in the air is said to reach 50 to 70 km/h.

In its connection with sushi, it is a white-fleshed fish with modest fat and a clean, light taste, and fresh ones are served as sashimi or nigiri. Its roe is called "tobiko" and is widely used as a standard ingredient for gunkanmaki and the like.

In Kyushu and along the Sea of Japan coastal regions it is familiarly called "ago" and is prized as a raw material for surimi and stock (dashi). "Ago-dashi," said to have originated in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, has gained nationwide recognition in recent years. There are also distinctive regional processed products such as Tottori and Hyogo's "ago-chikuwa" and Shimane's "ago-noyaki." Its season is mainly from early summer to summer; first the hamatobiuo appears on the market in early spring, followed by the tsukushitobiuo and hosotobiuo from early summer onward.