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Ikura (Salmon Roe) Sushi

Ikura / Salmon roe / Red caviar

Fish Roe
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The Difference Between Salmon, Sake, and Trout

Ikura refers to the fish eggs of salmonids such as salmon and trout. It is made by removing the ovarian membrane from sujiko, which is the roe still inside the ovary, and separating the eggs one grain at a time. It derives from the Russian word "ikra" (meaning fish roe).

Japan's top production area for ikura is Hokkaido, and fresh ikura can be eaten around September to October, when the salmon fishery reaches its peak. Since ancient times, sujiko, the earlier form of ikura, has been widely eaten in Japan, but ikura began to be eaten in earnest in Japan around the Taisho period. The method of preparing ikura is said to have been introduced from Russia. Because of its glossy appearance, ikura is used in various kinds of sushi such as chirashi sushi, but the most popular is the gunkan-maki (battleship roll), in which nori is wrapped around vinegared rice and topped with ikura. It is characterized by a texture that bursts with a juicy pop in the mouth, and is sometimes called red caviar or a red jewel. It boasts tremendous popularity across a wide range of generations from children to adults, and is one of the most popular kinds of sushi. Ikura is rich in the unsaturated fatty acids DHA and EPA, which are said to help prevent lifestyle diseases such as arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure - so it is not merely gorgeous and delicious, but in fact gentle on one's health as well.

Salt Ikura and Soy-Sauce Ikura

There are two types of ikura sushi: salt ikura and soy-sauce ikura. Salt ikura is ikura made from sujiko and then salted, allowing you to enjoy the rich flavor unique to ikura. At home, on the other hand, the soy-sauce-marinated version is made more often than the salted one. Because it is marinated in soy sauce, it has more moisture, and the savoriness of the soy sauce is added to the savoriness of the ikura, creating an exquisite flavor.
Soy-sauce-marinated ikura Soy-sauce-marinated ikura

The Difference Between Salmon, Sake, and Trout

At supermarkets and the like, what is labeled "sake" (salmon), such as coho salmon or sockeye salmon, is sake, while what is labeled "Atlantic salmon" is salmon. Sake can sometimes have parasites, so raw consumption is not allowed. Salmon, on the other hand, belongs to the genus Salmo of the family Salmonidae, and as its name suggests, it is caught in the Atlantic and imported in a frozen state, so it can basically be eaten raw.
Sake (salmon) and masu (trout) look like different fish, but in fact the trout is also a fish of the family Salmonidae - for example, the Japanese name for king salmon is "masunosuke" - and even among experts the classification is ambiguous.

米国の野生動物保護の切手で描かれたマス

At supermarkets and the like, what is labeled "sake" (salmon), such as coho salmon or sockeye salmon, is sake, while what is labeled "Atlantic salmon" is salmon. Sake can sometimes have parasites, so raw consumption is not allowed. Salmon, on the other hand, belongs to the genus Salmo of the family Salmonidae, and as its name suggests, it is caught in the Atlantic and imported in a frozen state, so it can basically be eaten raw.
Sake (salmon) and masu (trout) look like different fish, but in fact the trout is also a fish of the family Salmonidae - for example, the Japanese name for king salmon is "masunosuke" - and even among experts the classification is ambiguous.

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