【Reading】このしろ

【English Name】Dotted gizzard shad

The konoshiro is a saltwater fish of the family Dorosomatidae (order Clupeiformes) that lives in schools in the inner bays and brackish waters of East Asia. The adult is about 30 cm in total length, with a flattened body, blue-green dorsal and silvery-white ventral coloring, and black spots arranged in a dotted line. It is a shusse-uo whose name changes as it grows; in Kanto it is called shinko (4–5 cm), kohada (7–10 cm), nakazumi (around 13 cm), and konoshiro (15 cm or more). As a vinegar-cured "hikarimono" (silver-skinned fish), it is a topping representative of Edomae sushi. Juveniles trade at higher prices than adults, and the first shinko of the season can fetch tens of thousands of yen per kilogram. The main fishing grounds are Ise Bay, the western Seto Inland Sea, and central Kyushu. The season is summer to autumn when shinko appears, and in winter, when it becomes fatty, it also takes root in winter food culture in dishes such as awa-zuke (millet pickling).