Hiramasa Kingfish

Hiramasa Kingfish Flavor Profile

Hiramasa Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

Hiramasa Kingfish is a high-quality sashimi grade Yellowtail Kingfish which is farmed under strict standards.  Hiramasa is the Japanese name for this fish and it is highly regarded in Japan, where the fish is hand packed to avoid bruising.  Hiramasa Kingfish is the Australian name for this fish, and it is also a high quality sashimi grade fish.

Yellowtail Kingfish is also called Amberjack, but this is typically a reference to the wild Yellowtail Kingfish caught in California.  The wild fish can have parasitic problems, but this is never the case with sashimi grade Hiramasa or Hiramasa Kingfish.  The name Hiramasa is used to differentiate sashimi grade Amberjack from regular, wild Amberjack.

Hiramasa has pale pink flesh with firm, large flakes and a sweet, rich flavor.  Hiramasa has a higher fat content, firmer texture and cleaner flavor than wild Yellowtail Kingfish (Amberjack).

Typical Cooking Methods

Alternate Names

Hiramasa, Japanese Amberjack, Yellowtail Kingfish (wild, not sashimi), Amberjack (wild, not sashimi), Yellowtail Amberjack (wild, not sashimi), Great Amberjack (wild, not sashimi).

Description

Yellowtail Kingfish have elongated, moderately compressed bodies.  They have a slender head longer than their body depth and they have 31-34 dorsal fin rays.  They are generally blue, blueish-green or purplish green above and silver-white below.   Yellowtail Kingfish can be distinguished by their yellow caudal fins.

Hiramasa Fresh Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.  Frozen available all year long.

Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery

Range & Habitat

Japan and Australia for sashimi grade Hiramasa.

Typical Wholesale Products

H&G, Fillets, Loins

Hiramasa Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Method	Catch Region	Seafood Watch	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	Mercury Concerns
Hiramasa	Yellowtail Jack, California Yellowtail, Amberjack, California Hiramasa, Seriola quinqueradiata	Wild, Gillnet, Hook & Line	California, US Baja, Mexico			n/a	n/a
Hiramasa	Yellowtail Kingfish, Hamachi, Gold-striped Amberjack, Seriola lalandi	Farmed, open-net pen	Australia				low
Hiramasa	Yellowtail, Japanese Amberjack, Buri, Hamachi Seriola lalandi	Farmed, open-net pen	Japan				low
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
= Best Choice/Recommended     = Good Alternative     = Avoid/Not Recommended							Updated August 2013

Although the Hamachi from Japan and Australia are in good shape as regards sustainability of the species, they are rated “avoid” due to the amount of wild fish used for feed. Additionally, farmed Japanese Hamachi have issues with pollution and disease while Australian Hamachi have issues with parasites.

Comments from before Site Migration

DAVID BUCHANAN [ Jun 25, 2010 ]
Appreciate the comment Magic! I’m planning a trip to a sushi restaurant soon so I can try Hiramasa.

MAGIC OF SPICE [76.95.207.61] [ Jun 24, 2010 ]
I do not believe I haver ever tried this. Sounds like it is right up my alley:)

Subscribe

Connect with

I allow to create an account

When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.

DisagreeAgree

Notify of

new follow-up comments new replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Δ

Connect with

I allow to create an account

When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.

DisagreeAgree

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Δ

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments