【Reading】くろそい

【English Name】Black Rockfish

A white-fleshed fish that stands out for flavor among the rockfish family is kuro-soi (Sebastes schlegelii), a saltwater fish classified in the genus Sebastes of the family Sebastidae. The Japanese name derives from its appearance, with the entire body, including the pelvic, anal, and caudal fins, clad in a dark black. Its standard body length is about 30 to 40 cm, but there are records of large individuals reaching 60 cm and 3 kg in weight, and one example survived for 18 years.

Within Japan it is distributed along the coasts from Hokkaido to northern Kyushu, with its range extending to the coasts of the Korean Peninsula and the seas near China. It prefers rocky reefs, hiding in the shade of rocks by day, but at sunset it forms schools and begins active movement. It breeds by ovoviviparity, developing fertilized eggs within the body and then giving birth to larvae.

Its appeal is that a wide range of cooking methods can be chosen, including sashimi, salt-grilling, simmering, and deep-frying. However, because its flesh is delicate and crumbles easily, care should be taken with the degree of heating when simmering. Fresh ones can be eaten with the skin on, and matsukawa-zukuri, finished by parboiling (yubiki), enjoys steadfast popularity.

Muroran City has designated this species as its symbolic fish, positioning it as an ingredient representative of the land. It is so trusted in flavor that it is called "the sea bream of Hokkaido." It has many regional names, such as kurozoi, kurokara, and goma-soi, and the name "soi" is said to be a corruption of "isoio," meaning a fish living on the rocky shore (iso).