Hiramasa Sushi
A Comprehensive Overview of Yellowtail Amberjack in Japanese Sushi Cuisine

In Japanese, the yellowtail amberjack is known as hiramasa. Alongside buri and kanpachi, hiramasa is considered one of the three most important representatives of the genus Seriola. Wild-caught hiramasa is much rarer than buri. Due to its low fat content and subtle flavor, hiramasa is regarded as a premium ingredient for sushi or sashimi.

Hiramasa is known for its medium-firm texture and refined taste. Its mild aroma, along with its white-pink, elastic flesh, and balanced fat content, makes it highly desirable. The rich, buttery flavor is particularly appealing.

Freshly caught hiramasa has a firm consistency. At this stage, the flesh near the tail fin is especially prized for its taste. After several days of aging, the flesh becomes more tender and the flavor deepens.^[1]

In Japan, hiramasa, buri, and kanpachi are referred to as the 'three great yellowtails' (buri gosanke ブリ御三家). Of the three, hiramasa is known for having the lowest fat content and the most delicate flavor. These traits have earned it the nickname 'the nobleman with the blue back' (青背の貴公子 あおせいのきこうし).^[2]

In Japan, summer is considered the season for hiramasa, while winter is for buri. Hiramasa is in season from spring to summer, when its fat content begins to develop. It is said that hiramasa has a richer flavor than hamachi – the young buri – and is light and easy on the stomach.^[3]

Hiramasa from aquaculture is typically available year-round and maintains consistent quality.

The origin of the Japanese name hiramasa is not fully understood. Hiramasa is flatter than buri, which explains the use of the character 平 (hira) in its name, meaning 'flat.' The second character 政, read as masa, signifies 'order' and is also found in the word masame 柾目, which refers to the straight grain of wood. With some imagination, this could be linked to the yellow line running along the fish's lateral side.^[4] Occasionally, hiramasa is labeled with the characters 平鰤 (hiraburi), meaning 'flat Japanese yellowtail.'

Hiramasa is primarily farmed in Nagasaki, Oita, Ehime, Kagoshima, and Saga. Previously, juvenile fish caught in the wild were imported from China for farming. However, this method proved unsustainable for maintaining steady production, and now most juvenile fish come from laboratory breeding.^[5] In Oita, 'kabosu hiramasa' is raised, named after the kabosu citrus fruit (Citrus sphaerocarpa), which is mixed into their feed.^[6]

The Kindai University in Osaka Prefecture developed a hybrid species called burihira by crossing buri and hiramasa, with buri as the mother and hiramasa as the father. This hybrid combines the umami of buri with the firm texture of hiramasa and is considered a sustainable alternative due to its exclusive artificial propagation.^[7]

Hiramasa typically grows to about 80 cm, with a maximum length of 2.5 meters, making it the longest and slimmest species in the genus Seriola. Its back is bluish-green, its belly silvery-white, with a distinct golden-brown to greenish stripe running along its body. Hiramasa is found in subtropical to temperate waters worldwide and can dive to depths of over 800 meters. It is present south of Tohoku, Japan, often near rocky shores, reefs, and islands. As benthopelagic predators, they feed on smaller fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods.^[8]