What dou you want to eat in Japan? Ramen is good, Washoku or Nabe is great, and of course you may expect Sushi.
There are many and various sushi-restaurant in Japan, such as counter-sushi, standing sushi resutaurant, and kaitenzushi.
Kaitenzushi(conveyor belt sushi) is very popular spot for foreign tourist. You enjoy eating sushi and watching conveyor.
But some kaitenzushi-restaurant doesn’t have English menu yet. So you may wonder “How Can I Say Sushi-neta in English?”. Today I show you Sushi-neta in English, so use this for your information when you are in such a situation.
今回の内容
Good order to eat sushi
Usually It is said that The good order to eat sushi is to start with light tasting sushi-neta first, and take next something more rich or fatty one.
For example, typical order like this.
white-fleshed fish→fatty tuna/red-fleshed fish→silver‐skinned fish→squid→egg omlett→shell→shrimp→maki-mono→salmon
Before you go to the next sushi, it’s better to have some tea or pickled ginger to make your mouth refreshed.
This is usuall order, But you don’t worry about it. Historically Sushi is casual food for Japanese. Enjoy as you like and have whatever you want to try!
Sushi-neta guide
So, let’s start talking about sushi-neta!
If Sushi-chef don’t know english name, you order or indicate Japanese name.
white-fleshed fish
Red Sea Bream
The representative white-fleshed fish, fresh one is a little chewy, a few days aged it become soft and deepen the taste with umami.
in Japanese “madai”=真鯛、マダイ
Yellow jack
One of the fattiest of white-fleshed fish. Rich flavor.
in Japanese “shima-aji”=シマアジ
Fluke
Fluke is high quality fish, smooth texture, refined taste.
in Japanese “hirame”=平目 or ヒラメ
Gurnard
Delicate and slightly creamy.
in Japanese “ho-bo”=ホウボウ
※seasonal and rare white-fleshed fish bellow
Parrot fish
Tastes similar to red sea bream, but more complex flavor.
in Japanese “budai”=ブダイ
Sebastes glaucus
You may find this at Hokkaido.
in Japanese “Ao-zoi”=青ぞい
Etelis coruscans
You can eat this at southern island such as Okinawa or Amami.
In those area, this fish is known as high quality fish.
in Japanese “akamachi” or “hama-dai”=赤マチ(浜ダイ)
Blue humphead parrotfish
As you can see, unique and complex flavor.
You can also eat this at southern island such as Okinawa or Amami.
in Japanese “ao-budai” or “irabutya”=アオブダイ or イラブチャー
fatty tuna/red-fleshed fish
Tuna (Big eye)
Tuna is the lead of Sushi-neta. Big eye taste lighter than bluefin, and has a nicely balanced flavor.
in Japanese “akami(mebachi)”=メバチ赤身
Tuna(Pacific bluefin)
Pacific bluefin is the king of tuna. Fatty, unique sour flavor which other tuna doesn’t have. Brilliant.
in Japanese “akami(hon-maguro)”=本マグロ赤身
Soy-marinated tuna
Duke’s tuna is pickled in soy sauce. You don’t need to dip in soy sauce.
in Japanese “duke-maguro”=ヅケ、漬けマグロ
(medium) fatty tuna
Fatty but well balanced, melts in your mouth. Most popular sushi-neta for tourist, I think.
in Japanese “chu-toro”=中トロ
Fattiest portion of tuna
High-class, and impressive. Fattiest.
in Japanese “Ootoro”=大トロ
Yellowtail
in Japanese “Buri”=鰤 or ブリ
bonito
Seared bonito is more common, but in summer raw bonito is popular.
in Japanese “Katsuo”=カツオ or 鰹
silver‐skinned fish
Sardine
I always eat sardine to check whether the restraunt is good. Sardine is good, it is nice restraunt.
in Japanese “iwashi”=鰯 or イワシ
Horse mackerel
Staple silver‐skinned fish every sushi restaurant have.
in Japanese “aji”=鯵 or アジ
Pacific saury
Fresh pacific saury is fatty and delicious flavor. In Japan this fish mean the sign of fall.
in Japanese “Samma”=サンマ or 秋刀魚
Marinated mackerel
Vinegared sour taste. Once you come to like, you may get hooked on this taste.
in Japanese “shime-saba”=〆鯖 or シメサバ
Gizzard Shad
Silver skin. Low-priced and nice. Vinegared sour taste.
in Japanese “kohada”=小肌
squid/octopus
Octopus
Chewy texture and has an ocean smell.
in Japanese “tako”=タコ or たこ or 蛸
Octopus head
Almost crunchy texture. Rare sushi-neta, you may order sushi-restaurant at Hokkaido.
in Japanese “tako-atama”=たこ頭
Golden cuttlefish
Good taste and sticky texture. Popular for both sushi and tempura.
in Japanese “koh-ika”=甲イカ
Japanese flying squid
Generally squid is lighter than cuttlefish. Reasonable.
in Japanese “surume-ika”=スルメイカ
egg omlett
Egg
Most of children like egg. But making egg omelet is very difficult, it takes very long time to master this.
in Japanese “tamago”=玉子
shell
Surf Clam
If color is red, it is boiled. Black and grey, it is raw surf clam.
Raw surf clam is flavorful and nutritious, especially very tasty in winter.
in Japanese “hokki-gai”=ホッキ貝 or 北寄貝
Ark Shell
Full of sea flavor. Crunchy texture.
in Japanese “aka-gai”=赤貝
Scallop
Thick, light taste, hiding rich flavor.
in Japanese “hotate”=帆立 or ホタテ
shrimp
Sweet Shrimp
Very small but rich flavor. Usually low-price, if high quality become pricey.
in Japanese “amaebi”=甘海老 or 甘エビ
Sweet Shrimp
Edge of flesh raw Sweet Shrimp looks purple.
in Japanese “kuruma-ebi”=車海老
Gunkan(winding)
Negitoro winding
Negitoro is minced fatty tuna and spring onion.
in Japanese “negitoro”=ネギトロ
Salmon Roe(left) / Sea Urchin(right)
Very popular winding for both japanese and foreign. I want you all to try once.
in Japanese “ikura&uni”=いくら&うに
corn-salad
The combination of corn and mayonnaise is sweet and rich.
in Japanese “corn-salad”=コーンサラダ or コーン
Surf Clamp with mayonnaise winding
popular winding. Surf Clamp with filling mayonnaise.
in Japanese “hokki-gai”=ホッキサラダ
salmon and others
salmon
the most popular sushi-neta for young generation. Fatty and rich.
in Japanese also “salmon”=サーモン
Salmon & Slice Onion
salmon with sliced onion and mayonnaise.
in Japanese also “salmon onion“=サーモンオニオン
conger eel
Boiled conger eel with soy sauce base sweet and rich sauce.
in Japanese also “anago“=穴子 or アナゴ
Finally…
Have a good Kaitenzushi!!