【Reading】めじ

【English Name】Meji (Young Bluefin Tuna)

Meji is a name given to the juvenile of kuromaguro (Pacific bluefin tuna; honmaguro), used mainly in the Kanto and Chubu regions. Formally it is also called meji-maguro. Even for the same juvenile, in Kinki and Shikoku it is called "yokowa" or "yoko," with the name differing by region as a distinctive feature.

The adult kuromaguro is a large fish exceeding 3 m in total length and 400 kg in weight, but at the meji stage it is still small, with an appearance in which about 10–20 white spots or horizontal stripe patterns line up along the flank. Incidentally, the alternative name "yokowa" is said to derive from these horizontal stripes.

As a sushi neta, although it does not have as much fat as the adult, one can taste the clean, lean red meat unique to a young fish. It is often served as sashimi or nigiri.

Note that in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's advisory, while the adult kuromaguro has a somewhat high mercury concentration so an intake guideline for pregnant women is set, for meji-maguro the mercury amount is low, and it is said to pose no problem with normal meal portions. The scientific name is the same as the adult, Thunnus orientalis, and it inhabits a wide range from the tropical to temperate zones of the Pacific.