【Reading】とびこ

【English Name】Flying fish roe

Tobiko is a seafood product made by salt-curing the eggs of flying fish (tobiuo); it is written with characters meaning "flying child."

The grain size is extremely small, around 1 mm, with a difference in size from ikura obvious at a glance. Its golden, semi-transparent appearance is striking, and because the skin has firm elasticity it produces a distinctive crunchy, popping texture.

In the world of sushi, it is indispensable as a topping for gunkan-maki and chirashizushi. In Western cuisine the name "golden caviar" has become established, and it is prized for garnishing canapés, and by applying black coloring it can also adorn the table as a stand-in for luxury caviar.

The majority of products on the market are imported processed goods made from flying fish caught in southern waters such as Indonesia.

Note that "tobikko" is a registered trademark held by Kanetoku, a seafood processing company in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, so products from other manufacturers are generally sold under names such as "hiran." Also, "shishamokko (masago)," made by processing the ovaries of capelin, is distributed as a substitute.