【Reading】さく

【English Name】Saku (Fish Block)

Saku is a specialized term in the preliminary preparation of sushi and sashimi, referring to a block of flesh shaped into a rectangular solid after removing the bones and skin from a fish fillet. The series of operations of shaping into a rectangle while discerning the direction of the fibers and the placement of the bloodline (chiai), based on a half-body obtained by three-piece filleting (sanmai-oroshi), corresponds to "saku-dori."

If one prepares the flesh into saku in advance, the thickness comes out even when the knife is drawn, leading to beautiful slicing (kiritsuke). At fishmongers and supermarket counters, the form of saku predominates in display as well, and it has become widely established as a purchase form suited to making sashimi at home.

In the saku-dori procedure, the usual flow is division into a "se-saku" (back saku) on the dorsal side and a "hara-saku" (belly saku) on the ventral side. The back saku has gentle fat and firm flesh quality, while the belly saku's hallmark is a flavor rich in fattiness. In the case of large fish such as tuna, a further process of subdividing to extract multiple saku is added.

At the sushi restaurant scene, the standard procedure is to first prepare the purchased fish into saku and store it in the refrigerator, then cut out only the necessary amount for each order.