【Reading】はまだい

【English Name】Flame snapper

Hamadai (queen snapper) is a deep-sea fish belonging to the family Lutjanidae, with major features being its vividly crimson body and a long, deeply forked tail fin. More slender than madai, it reaches a maximum total length of about 120 cm, and is a carnivore inhabiting the area around reefs at depths of 200–500 m. Widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, within Japan it is landed from central Honshu southward, including the Izu Islands and the Nansei Islands. In Tokyo it is called "onaga" or "onagadai," in Okinawa "akamachi," and in Hawaii too "onaga" has become established. Its pale-pink-tinged white flesh has little off-taste and is refined, and it is distributed as a high-grade fish suited to a wide range of cooking in addition to nigiri and sashimi.