【Reading】つりきんき

【English Name】Line-caught Kinki (Broadbanded Thornyhead)

Tsuri-kinki is a brand fish trademarked by a fisheries cooperative in Abashiri, Hokkaido; its official Japanese name is kichiji (broadbanded thornyhead). Because it is caught carefully one fish at a time by longline (haenawa), it suffers less body damage than fish landed by trawl nets or gill nets, and a great feature is that high quality is maintained in both freshness and appearance.

Kichiji is a deep-sea fish classified in the family Sebastidae (scorpionfish), with its main habitat near the seabed at depths of around 400-600 m. Its body color is an eye-catching red, with large eyes and impressive fan-spread pectoral fins as distinctive features. Although classified as a white-fleshed fish, it is rich in fat and reaches its peak season when the fat builds up in the cold season.

In the first half of the 20th century it was caught in large quantities by trawling and distributed cheaply, but as declining catches, the aging of fishers, and soaring fuel costs overlapped, it is now handled in the market as a high-grade fish. In Abashiri, longline-only fishing continues, and activities to promote local production for local consumption and to raise brand value are actively being developed.

In Hokkaido, there is a custom of serving kichiji on the table in place of red sea bream (madai) at celebratory occasions, and it has long been cherished as a fish indispensable to the region's food culture. When served as a sushi topping, one can savor its rich, fatty sweetness and its tender, flaky texture.