Everything about The Pacific Saury totally explained
The
Pacific saury,
Cololabis saira, is a
saury, a member of the family
Scomberesocidae. This fish, which is a
food source in some
East Asian cuisines, is also known by the name
mackerel pike.
It is known as
sanma (サンマ / 秋刀魚) in
Japanese,
kongchi (꽁치) in
Korean,
qiu dao yu (秋刀魚) in
Chinese, and
saira (сайра) in
Russian.
The term
saira used in its scientific name is the fish's local name in the
Kii Peninsula region of Japan.
The Chinese symbols used in the Chinese and Japanese names of the fish (秋刀魚) means "autumn knife fish", in reference to its body-shape, somewhat resembling a
knife, and its
peak season.
Appearance
It is a fish with a small
mouth, an elongated body, a series of small
finlets between the
dorsal and
anal fins and a small forked
tail. The colour of the fish is dark green to blue on the dorsal surface, silvery below, and there are small bright blue blotches distributed haphazardly on the sides. The average overall body length of the Pacific saury is 36 - 40 cm and their maximum reported age is 2 years.
Biology
These
pelagic schooling fish are found in the
North Pacific, from
Japan eastward to the
Gulf of Alaska and southward to subtropical
Mexico; 67°N - 18°N, 137°E - 108°W, preferring temperatures around 15 - 18°C. Pacific saury are usually found near the surface (though they may have a depth range of 0 - 230 m) and they're known to glide above the surface of the water when moving away from predators (a behavior that links them to the
flying fish, a cousin of the
saury family).
The Pacific saury is a highly
migratory species. Adults are generally found offshore, near the surface of the ocean, in schools. Juveniles associate with drifting
seaweed. Pacific saury are
oviparous. Eggs are attached to one another and to floating objects such as seaweed via filaments on the shell surface.
The saury feeds on
zooplankton such as
copepods,
krill,
amphipods, and the eggs and
larvae of common fish such as
anchovies due to their lack of
stomach, and their short straight
intestines.
A few of the natural
predators of Pacific saury include
marine mammals,
squid and
tuna.
Trade
Pacific saury (often marketed as
mackerel pike) are sought after by
Taiwanese,
Russian and
Japanese fishermen. This fish has a great economic importance in the part of the world where it's found.
Fishing of saury is facilitated by the fact that it's attracted by the light. Thus, a common way of catching it's to stick powerful lighting fixtures with a number of 500
W blue or white lamps from one side of a boat, and some weaker red lamps from other. When fish congregate under the stronger white lamps, the lighting is switched to the other board, where the fish - often the whole
school - is collected by the nets.
Cuisine
Saury, or
sanma, is one of the most prominent
seasonal food which represents autumn in
Japanese cuisine. It is most commonly served salted and grilled (broiled) whole, and garnished with
daikon oroshi (grated
daikon) and served alongside a bowl of
rice and a bowl of
miso soup. Other condiments may include
soy sauce, or
lime,
lemon or other
citrus juices. The intestines are bitter, but many people choose not to gut the fish, as many say its bitterness, balanced by the condiments, is part of the enjoyment. Salt-grilled saury is also served in Korea, where it's known as
kongchi gui (꽁치구이).
Sanma sashimi is becoming increasingly available but isn't common. It is rarely used for
sushi; however
sanma-zushi is a regional delicacy along parts of the
Kii Peninsula, especially along the coast of southern
Mie Prefecture. It is prepared by pickling the
sanma in salt and vinegar (depending on the region, bitter
orange or citron vinegar may be used), and then placing it on top of vinegared
rice to create the finished sushi.
The fish can also be pan-fried, or made into canned
kabayaki. It is also used for
fish meal and pet food in some
Western countries, while Alaska
pollock is more often used for this in others.
The flesh of Pacific saury contains good quality
protein, easily digestible, absorbed, and utilized by human bodies. The flesh is rich in
unsaturated fatty acids such as
EPA and
DHA, good
fats which aid in the prevention of
heart disease.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pacific Saury'.
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