鯵 · アジ · aji
Aji
Aji is Japanese horse mackerel — a silver hikarimono served fresh (not cured), bright and clean with a little ginger and scallion. Summer's quintessential shiny fish.
- Also known as
- horse mackerel, jack mackerel
- Species
- Trachurus japonicus (Japanese horse mackerel)
- Category
- Silver / shiny fish (hikarimono)
- Texture
- soft, tender — clean, savory, bright
- Peak season
- Jun, Jul, Aug
- Sustainability
- varies — Status varies by stock and fishery.
- Mercury
- Not in the FDA consumer table
- Pregnancy
- Eat in moderation
- Price tier
- $$
The friendly hikarimono
Aji is Japanese horse mackerel — and despite the name, it’s a member of the jack family, not a true mackerel. Unlike its bold cousin saba, aji is served fresh and uncured: soft, clean and savory, with none of the funk that scares people off shiny fish.
How it’s served
A classic aji nigiri is finished with grated ginger and thin-sliced scallion to lift its brightness. Chopped with miso and aromatics it becomes namerō, a fisherman’s specialty.
Summer’s fish
Aji peaks in summer, when it’s at its cleanest and most tender — the easy, approachable counterpoint to autumn’s rich saba.