【Reading】ひらすずき

【English Name】Blackfin Seabass

The hirasuzuki (blackfin seabass) is a marine fish of the genus Lateolabrax in the family Lateolabracidae, scientifically named Lateolabrax latus. It was described as a new species by Masami Katayama in 1957. The Japanese name "hira" derives from the body being laterally flattened and compressed, and serves as a distinguishing point from the marusuzuki (Japanese seabass) of the same genus.

In Japan it is distributed along the Pacific coast south of Ibaraki Prefecture (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu), Tanegashima and Yakushima, and the western Sea of Japan. Abroad it has also been confirmed along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. Although it mainly inhabits saltwater zones, there are records of it entering brackish waters and the freshwater zones of rivers.

Its body shape is markedly compressed with great body depth; the body depth at the origin of the pelvic fin reaches about 27-31% of the body length. The head is dark blue-green, the back is tinged dark blue, and it becomes silvery-white from the flanks to the belly. The mouth is large, with 14-16 soft rays in the dorsal fin. Juveniles have small spots on the flanks, but by the time they exceed about 20 cm in total length that pattern disappears.

In sushi it is classified as a white-flesh topping. Compared with the marusuzuki its catch is limited, and it is known as a species that rarely appears at market.