SUSHI KATSURADA

Broadbanded thornyhead (Kichiji)

【Nigiri sushi: Shiromi】
Kichiji (Bighand thornyhead) is found around Honshu from Suruga Bay northward as well as on the Pacific Ocean side of the Chishima Islands and the southwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. There are a particularly high number on the Pacific side of Tohoku and Hokkaido but it does not live on the Sea of Japan side. Its body grows to 30 cm in length, it lives on continental shelf slopes at depths of 150 to 1,200 meters and eats shrimp and small fish. The reason Kichiji has a bright red color is from the effects of astaxanthin, a component of shrimp. It is said to be the most delicious of fish with red skin, and the elegant white meat is delectable as sashimi. Kichiji is generally called "Kinki".