【Reading】にべ

【English Name】Croaker

The nibe (Nibe croaker, Nibea mitsukurii) is a white-fleshed fish of the family Sciaenidae, reaching a maximum total length of 80 cm. It lives on muddy bottoms along the Pacific coast south of the Tohoku region and in the East China Sea. Though rare as a sushi topping, it has little off-flavor, a light and refined sweetness, and offers a texture that seems to melt apart in the mouth when made into nigiri. In the Kanto region it is grouped with the related shiroguchi and called "ishimochi," while in Kansai it is called "guchi," but these are fish of a different genus. The glue (nikawa) made from its swim bladder was prized as a premium adhesive in the Edo period and is the origin of the expression "nibe mo nai" (curt; unfriendly).