Horse mackerel is a fish that can be caught all year round and can be obtained at any time in Japan. It has been an important food fish in Japan since ancient times. There are many types of horse mackerel, but the most common is the Pacific horse mackerel. Dried horse mackerel is also very popular, with hundreds of millions of pieces consumed every year.
Fish categories and names vary between countries and cultures, but from a taxonomic perspective, all species below belong to the family Carangidae (Order: Carangiformes).
Main species of horse mackerel
Pacific Horse Mackerel
Horse mackerel usually refers to Pacific jack mackerel (English: jack mackerel / Pacific jack mackerel / Californian jack mackerel; Japanese: マアジ; scientific name: Trachurus symmetricus), which is the most common type of horse mackerel. This type of horse mackerel is found throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
There are two main types of horse mackerel:
- Reef Horse Mackerel: Fish body is slightly yellow. They live in natural reefs and feed on high-quality plankton. Therefore, its fish body is thicker, rich in fat and rich in flavor.
- High seas horse mackerel: slightly black. Swim in the high seas to grow. The fish body is muscular and refreshing, with low fat content.
Because both male and female horse mackerel concentrate nutrients in their genitals, the taste of horse mackerel deteriorates during spawning. Inshore horse mackerel is best eaten in the summer when spawning is not taking place.
Japanese horse mackerel
Japanese jack mackerel (English: Japanese jack mackerel; Japanese: ムロアジ; scientific name: Trachurus japonicus) is also known as true trevally or pond fish. In Taiwan, it is commonly known as balou, melon fish and horse mackerel. It can be caught year-round on the Pacific Coast, in Misasaki Prefecture, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Oita, Wakayama, Kochi, Ehime and other places. The price is a bit cheaper than Pacific Horse Mackerel.
These fish are pelagic fish and can be found in coastal waters and the open ocean. They are often found in schools of fish near the surface, feeding on plankton and small fish.
Japanese horse mackerel has more blood and less fat than Pacific horse mackerel. Some people don’t like the taste, so it is often made into processed products such as dried fish. The stinky dried fish (くさや; KUSAYA) produced in the Izu Islands is the most famous example.
As sashimi, Japanese horse mackerel has a rich fish flavor. Salt roasting is also popular.
Thin-scaled trevally
The mackerel scad (English: mackerel scad; Japanese: クサヤモロ; scientific name: Decapterus macarellus) looks very similar to members of the Japanese horse mackerel family and is difficult to tell apart. Unlike the horse mackerel, there is a pair of small fins at the base of the tail fin, the back and the abdomen. Kusanagi Moro is characterized by a slightly reddish front edge of the lower lobe of the tail fin. It can also be used to make dried fish (くさや).
Tabor trevally (red tail horse mackerel)
Taber scad (English: Roughear scad /Redtail scad; Japanese: オアカムロ/ REDtail アジ; scientific name: Decapterus tabl) only the tail fin is red , the meat is soft , and can be bought in supermarkets, but it cannot be stored for a long time. This fish is not rare and cheap. It’s high in fat and delicious salt-roasted.
Striped horse mackerel/ yellow banded trevally
Yellow-striped trevally, also known as white trevally / Striped Horse Mackerel (English: White trevally / Striped Horse Mackerel; Japanese: シマアジ; scientific name: Pseudocaranx dentex) Because there are vertical bands on the side of the body, it is also called " Striped "horse mackerel." Lives in the warm coastal areas south of southern Iwate Prefecture.
It is extremely rare. Because it has no teeth, the hook breaks in the mouth when fishing, resulting in a reduction in catches. It is considered the highest grade of horse mackerel in Japan. Later, as breeding became popular, it can now be found in supermarkets.
It is taller and larger than horse mackerel. It is often eaten as an ingredient in sashimi or sushi. Some are farmed. Sashimi has a top-notch texture, characterized by refined fat and rich flavor. The meat does not harden even when heated, so it can be grilled with salt or fried.
Maru horse mackerel
(English: Japanese scad; Japanese: マルアジ; Scientific name: Decapterus maruadsi)
Mainly caught in the Kansai region. It looks similar to horse mackerel. As the name suggests, it is characterized by a circular cross-section. Maru horse mackerel has a small fin at the base of its tail and its back is blue-green. It is called blue horse mackerel/blue horse mackerel in the Kanto region. The catch is large and the price is cheaper than horse mackerel. It tends to have more blood, and the meat has fine marble patterns, making it suitable for eating as sashimi, pan-fried or salt-grilled.
Red tail trevally/red horse mackerel
The red-tailed trevally (Japanese: アカアジ; scientific name: Decapterus akaadsi) has a red second dorsal fin and pectoral fin, and a red caudal fin. Its texture is slightly soft, its moisture content is slightly higher, its blood volume is lower, and its flavor is bland. In the past, it was often caught at Cape Muroto, but in recent years the catch has decreased significantly and it is no longer common.
Six-banded trevally
Six-banded trevally, also known as Bigeye trevally / bigeye jack (English: Bigeye trevally / bigeye jack; Japanese: ギンガメアジ/ Silver paper trevally; scientific name: Caranx sexfasciatus). Adults are found in coastal areas such as inner bays and coral reefs, while larvae are found in shallow waters behind bays and lower river areas. The mouth and eyes are large. The most striking feature is the distinct black spots on the gill cover. The price is cheap but the taste is moderate, and the fat taste is good.
White-tongued trevally
Whitetongue jack is also known as whitetongue jack (English: whitetongue jack; Japanese: オキアジ/ モクアジ/ ドロアジ/ ダイコクメッキ/ ダイコクまたはダイコUraspis helvola). It has a dark appearance, light taste, and is relatively cheap. It is not well known to the public but has excellent cost performance.
Rare trevally/giant horse mackerel
Giant trevally, also known as ronin trevally (because of its habit of moving alone), giant trevally (English: giant trevally (GT) / giant kingfish; Japanese: ロウニンアジ; scientific name: Caranx ignobilis). Distributed along the Pacific coast of Ibaraki Prefecture to the south coast of Kyushu, the west coast of Kyushu, the Seto Inland Sea, Yakushima, Ryukyu Islands, Izu Islands, Ogasawara Islands, etc. It can be said to be rare.
The price of rare trevally is around 4,500 yen. However, depending on the area where they live, larger ones may be poisonous and are no longer available for sale if they exceed 30 cm in size.
Trevally can be used as sashimi, salt grilled, stewed, dashi, fried, salt boiled or tempura. If it is fresh sashimi, it has sweet fat, has a nice and sweet taste, and melts in your mouth.
Tall body like a trevally
Kaiwarinus equula (English: whitefin trevally; Japanese: カイワリ; scientific name: Kaiwarinus equula) is famous for being a cheap and extremely delicious fish. The flesh is transparent and white, the bigger, firmer and more delicious. Although it is small, it has a relatively strong sweetness due to its high fat content, and the meat is delicate and sweet.
Great trevally
Megalaspis cordyla (English: Torpedo scad; Japanese: オニアジ; scientific name: Megalaspis cordyla) has red flesh with a lot of blood inside, medium texture, shiny skin, strong flavor, and delicious taste. The distribution in Japan is small. It is characterized by large dorsal scales and several isolated small fins behind the dorsal and anal fins.
