【Reading】あかしだい

【English Name】Akashi Sea Bream

Akashi-dai is the brand name for madai (red sea bream, Pagrus major) caught around the Akashi Strait off Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture. As one of Japan's leading premium white-fleshed fish, it has long been prized at sushi restaurants and high-end ryotei.

The Akashi Strait is known as one of Japan's foremost fast-current zones, and the akashi-dai tempered in these fierce flows has far firmer flesh than ordinary red sea bream. Moreover, because the strait's distinctive currents push deep-sea nutrients up near the surface, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab thrive abundantly, and the akashi-dai that feeds mainly on them possesses a fine flavor with concentrated umami.

A blue pattern above the eye (nicknamed "eyeshadow") and vivid blue spots on the body surface are external features, taken as proof of being a wild fish. Its season comes twice a year: the spring "sakura-dai" has a beautiful body color faintly tinged with cherry-blossom pink and offers a light yet refined sweetness, while the autumn "momiji-dai" stores fat for winter and is characterized by richer umami and sweetness.

As a sushi topping, thinly sliced nigiri is the standard, with the firm texture and delicate sweetness embodying the royal road of white fish. The kobujime technique of curing it with kelp to concentrate the umami is also favored.