【Reading】くろだい

【English Name】Black Sea Bream (Kurodai)

Kurodai (black sea bream) is a white-fleshed fish of the family Sparidae, subfamily Sparinae, called "chinu" in the Kansai region. It inhabits the East Asian coasts from the Japanese archipelago to the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, and also adapts to brackish waters and river mouths. As a sushi topping, its appeal lies in its firm texture; in winter it takes on fat and delivers umami comparable to madai (red sea bream). However, depending on the region and season it can have a muddy/seaweedy smell, so careful judgment is needed. Its maximum total length exceeds 70 cm, but most in distribution are around 30 cm. It is known for protandrous sex change, with some individuals changing to female around 4 to 5 years of age. It is also a "shusse-uo" (fish whose name changes as it grows); in the Kanto region the names change as "chinchin → kaizu → kurodai."