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Kohada (Gizzard Shad) Sushi

Gizzard Shad (Kohada)

Silver-skinned Fish

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Order Clupeiformes, Family Clupeidae, Genus Konosirus

Kohada is a "promotion fish" whose name changes as it grows, with the adult form called konoshiro. It lives in schools in the inner bays of East Asia and is abundantly caught in areas like Ise Bay and the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. Its spawning season is spring, and unlike most fish, its value decreases as it grows larger - a "reverse promotion fish."

A saltwater fish inhabiting the inner bays throughout East Asia. Adults are about 30 cm long with a flat body, a rounded snout, and a small mouth. Its name changes as it grows - shinko, kohada, nakazumi, and finally konoshiro - but since the bones become more numerous and harder to eat as it gets larger, younger fish command higher prices. In particular, the first catch of shinko around 4 cm taken in early summer can fetch tens of thousands of yen per kilogram, making it a luxury fish.

Kohada was abundantly caught in Tokyo Bay and, because it keeps well when cured with vinegar and salt, it was prized by street-side sushi stalls and traveling "sushi sellers" since ancient times. Kohada is the quintessential representative of "hikari-mono" (silver-skinned fish) in Edomae sushi. The peak season for kohada is July to September. It is first cured with salt, then soaked in vinegar, removed and allowed to let the flavors meld, and then one whole fish or one fillet is shaped into a single piece of nigiri. Tiny shinko the size of a fingertip are layered 2 to 3 pieces per piece of nigiri, though some sushi chefs compete by stacking as many as 8 pieces. Freshly caught shinko melts in the mouth with sweetness and a distinctly blue-fish flavor, while kohada has fewer small bones and less of the blue fish odor, making it easy to eat. For this reason, kohada is more popular than nakazumi or konoshiro, but nakazumi and konoshiro are actually connoisseur-level toppings. They do have more small bones, but their deep flavor and the distinctive taste in the skin are what make sushi aficionados nod in approval.

Kohada and shinko are typically used as sushi toppings, but konoshiro-sized fish can also be gutted and stuffed with vinegared rice to make sugata-zushi (whole-fish sushi). In any case, the flavor changes dramatically depending on the amount of salt and vinegar and the timing of the preparation, making it a topping that truly tests a sushi chef's skill.
Kohada: where the sushi chef's skill is put to the test Kohada: where the sushi chef's skill is put to the test

Kohada: Taboo for Samurai

The adult form of kohada is called konoshiro, but since konoshiro can also be read as "kono shiro" (this castle), Edo-period samurai were forbidden from eating it by the shogunate, as it was considered outrageous for warriors to "eat a castle." Additionally, because it is cut open from the belly during preparation, it was called "harakiri-uo" (belly-cutting fish) and was sometimes served at ritual suicide ceremonies, making it an inauspicious food for samurai. While samurai avoided it, the common folk of Edo, with their defiant spirit of "teyandee, delicious food is delicious!" simply renamed it "kohada" and kept eating it.

The adult form of kohada is called konoshiro, but since konoshiro can also be read as "kono shiro" (this castle), Edo-period samurai were forbidden from eating it by the shogunate, as it was considered outrageous for warriors to "eat a castle." Additionally, because it is cut open from the belly during preparation, it was called "harakiri-uo" (belly-cutting fish) and was sometimes served at ritual suicide ceremonies, making it an inauspicious food for samurai. While samurai avoided it, the common folk of Edo, with their defiant spirit of "teyandee, delicious food is delicious!" simply renamed it "kohada" and kept eating it.

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