Fish Dictionary | Pacific saury

This is the key to Okafoods' saury!

✓ Number 1: Freshness is key!!

There are two ways to freeze saury: either on board the vessel immediately after catching it, or after landing, and naturally the former method is fresher. Our company is particular about purchasing saury that has been frozen on board the vessel.

✓ Step 2: Check out the butt!!

One of the things to look out for when buying saury is its anus. If it's open and red droppings are coming out, it's a sign that the stomach is full of undigested food (krill). This also affects freshness, so we only select saury with a tight anus.

✓ No. 3 The yellow mouth is the best!!

When saury are alive, the tip of their mouths is yellow, but the color fades after they are caught. In other words, the yellow color of the tip of the mouth is proof that the saury is fresh. We select saury with yellow tips of the mouths.

☝Trivia

Pacific saury's great journey: a huge migration riding on cold currents Japanese Pacific saury are found in North America and the Kuril Islands, and travel south in schools near the surface of the open ocean on cold currents to spawn in the autumn near the waters off Japan.

Characteristics of Pacific saury

Due to a decrease in catches, the 2013 Pacific saury fishing season saw a shift to smaller fish. Therefore, when we manufacture our Plus Pacific saury series, we first remove the bones by hand, then fill them with shredded Pacific saury meat, making them available in weights of 60, 70, and 80g.

The most common parasite found in Pacific saury is the "hijikimushi" (sea worm). When infected, parasitic scars appear on the surface of the fish's body, but they do not remain inside the fish. Furthermore, fish parasites die when frozen at -20°C for 24 hours, so even if you do eat them, frozen food will not cause any harm.

Regarding product handling

✓ Tip 1: Be careful during the hot summer and autumn seasons!!

Frozen products thaw easily, especially on hot days, so be sure to put them in the freezer as soon as they are delivered.

✓ Reason 2: It will turn yellow (oxidize) even within the expiration date!!

The lipids contained in fish are prone to oxidizing and turning yellow due to temperature changes, even if the fish is within its expiration date. When storing fish, store it in the back of the freezer where the temperature will not change easily, and do not refreeze fish that has been thawed.

Okafoods' popular saury product

Plus 60g saury fillets (bone removed)

We use carefully selected fresh saury. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as grilled, simmered, or deep-fried. It is not just a taste of autumn, but can be enjoyed all year round.

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