Scorpionfish (カサゴ, kasago or オニカサゴ, onikasago) is a highly esteemed fish in Japanese cuisine, celebrated for its delicate and flavorful flesh. Despite the presence of venomous spines, it is a sought-after ingredient in sushi and sashimi for its unique taste and texture. When handling scorpionfish, it is crucial to wear protective gloves and use proper tools to avoid injury from the venomous spines.
The venomous spines can give you quite a stab if you are not careful so properly filleting the fish is necessary, to protect yourself and obtain the most meat. While scorpionfish can be filleted fairly easily, it is important to note that the body shape of these fish causes the larger half of the fillet to be on the bottom versus the top.
Like with all fish filleting, I recommend using a deba knife and tweezers to properly prepare the flesh of a scorpionfish. If you have bought your fish with scales then you should use a fish scaler as well.
Types Of Scorpionfish?
Earlier I mentioned that in Japanese a scorpionfish is kasago or onikasago. This was a very broad statement, and the truth of the matter is even confusing for Japanese people. For example, kasago is mostly used to reference the marbled rockfish, which has the scientific name Sebastiscus marmoratus. On the other hand you have onikasago with the scientific name Scorpaena neglecta. Now, both of these fish are part of the Scorpaenidae family, however the former has a differen genus than the latter.
On top of this, when both fish are dead, scaled, and gutted, it is very hard for the layman to tell the difference between not just these two scorpionfish, but the entire family.
To make it even more difficult, while onikasago is used to reference Scorpaena neglecta, it is also used as a general name for all scorpionfish and rockfish and the Scorpaena neglecta is actually izukasago, which is different than scorpaena izensis, called izu-kasago (basically same). This is not to be confused with Scorpaenopsis neglecta, or the toyo-kasago. Confusing? It get’s worse. Due to the regional differences in fish names in Japan, izukasago can also be called fusakasago, to differentiate it from another scorpionfish with the scientific name Scorpaenopsis cirrhosa, or Weedy Stingfish in English; Which in much of Japan is simply called…onikasago.
Now you might be wondering what scorpionfish I showed in the photos above – after all this explanation maybe a photo would make things less confusing. Well the scorpionfish above is actually Scorpaena scrofa which is not native to Japan at all, but has become more and more popular as an import fish due to accessibility. Scorpaena scrofa, or red scorpionfish or rascasse, actually comes from the Mediterranean where it is more abundant and easily identified than many of the Japanese scorpionfishes.
Sushi With Onikasago?
If you want to make sushi with scorpionfish you can do so with any of the species you want. These fish carry the toxins in the spines, so the flesh is perfectly safe to eat both raw and cooked.
This is a fish rarely seen in Japanese sushiya due to availability but if you see it being offered (or usually only in an omakase) I highly recommend trying it. It makes a great nigiri with traditional akazu shari.
