Our hamachi is from Iyosui, reared in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. Harvested at peak season progressively, from farms down south (Kagoshima) to the north (Ehime), this fish is processed ‘live’. These two factors combine to create a wonderful sashimi product
Characterised by a satisfying texture and melt-in-your-mouth fatty flavour, this hamachi is a delicacy with rich umami flavour, and is full of healthy nutrients
Extremely Rich in Omega 3
Hamachi is rich in nutritional value and contains abundant quantities of Omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, which has been reported to reduce the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Hamachi has even more DHA and EPA than salmon.
Iyosui
Exploring the Possibility of the Sea
Peak season harvest + ‘live’ processing = prime fish that is fat and delicious
‘Less is more’ definitely applies here. The less you cook this fish, the more delicious, and our hamachi is wonderful as sashimi
After skinning and cutting into blocks, we like to cure the fillet heavily with salt on all surfaces to draw moisture out, firm the texture, and lightly season the flesh. Wash the salt away after 10 minutes, and pat dry the fish, before slicing
Once you open the bag, and at temperatures above freezing, the distinctive hamachi bloodline oxidises and turns brown quickly. Keep the fish well, wrap un-used portions tightly with absorbant paper, then cling film, and use it quickly
Growing up strong
One of the crucial factors for cultivating muscular hamachi is a strong current. Iyosui’s fish farms are in carefully chosen sites in the Seto Inland Sea with sufficient depth and large tidal variations, thus securing the strong currents required to produce plump, muscular hamachi. Technologies such as cloud-based systems are used to manage the density and health of hamachi in the fish farms.
Iyosui is fully vertically integrated, from fish seedling to feed, aquaculture, harvesting, transportation, and processing. Feed is manufactured in-house, with pacific sand lance (a small fish), crustaceans, and seaweed as the main ingredients. This produces fatty, high-quality hamachi with superior aroma and texture.
*Ikejime (活け締め) is considered to be the fastest and most humane method of killing fish. A spike is inserted quickly and directly into the hindbrain, usually located slightly behind and above the eye, thereby causing immediate brain death. Thereafter, a thin needle or piece of wire is inserted into the spinal column to prevent any further muscle movement. The brain and the spinal cord of the fish is destroyed, fish fins flare and the fish relaxes, preventing any reflex action; such muscle movements would otherwise consume adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the muscle, and as a result produce lactic acid and ammonia, making the fish sour, soggy and less tasty. Also, the blood contained in the fish flesh retracts to the gut cavity, which produces a better coloured and flavoured fillet, and prolongs shelf life
Prime Frozen > Average Fresh
To us fishmongers, we rather eat fish frozen at prime, than an average chilled fish. Technique matters a lot
Iyosui’s processing technique is key to preserving freshness. The ultimate quality of hamachi depends on how the harvested fish is handled, and Iyosui’s fish is trucked live to their specialised hamachi plant in Ehime for processing. This ‘live’ trucking of fish was Iyosui’s original business, and remains one of its specialty and key differentiators
In Ehime, the live fish are kept in a large pan in the Uwa Sea, just outside the plant, to maintain its active state until just before it is processed
Precise and prompt processing makes the fish meat tender, preserves freshness, and prevents the meat from stiffening (rigor mortis). After Ikejime* (see notes below), Iyosui soaks the fish in ice-filled seawater to lower the body temperature and drain the blood
The excellent taste of hamachi is also maintained by the environment of the HACCP-certified processing plant, with temperatures kept constantly low. Hamachi fillets are frozen at an ultra-low temperature to prevent the meat from degrading, and then swiftly and carefully packed. The outcome: fish that tastes as good as chilled hamachi, but with the value and the convenience of frozen
Images, Videos and Recipe credits: JFOODO, except the Iyosui video and product pictures
Hamachi Recipes & Inspirations
Respected chefs work with this wonderful fish
