Hikarimono, (direct translation: shiny thing), which means silver skin fish in the sushi world, is used to refer to the class of blue backed fish that top nigiri at many sushi restaurants. I know, confusing right. Well, there is always an issue with the direct translation and colloquial usage in Japan but hopefully this guide helps explain all about what hikarimono are, and some great recipes for you to try at home!
What Does Hikarimono Mean
Hikarimono directly translates from Japanese to English as ‘shiny thing’. However when used to refer to sushi, hikarimono is used to describe the class of fish with silver skin and blue backs. This category includes common options like saba (mackerel) and iwashi (sardine) but also includes things you can find at higher end sushi restaurants like sayori (Japanese halfbeak) and everyone’s actual favorite: kohada (dotted gizzard shad).
Many hikarimono fish are known for being rather small, so the preparation of these fish are a great way to showcase a chef’s skills. In fact, there are some nigiri which take more than one whole fish as a neta (topping)!
What Are Hikarimono Fish For Sushi
There are quite a few hikarimono fish used in sushi, from iwashi to kohada and more. Many sushi afficionados say these silver skin fish are the best neta, even better than otoro or uni!
Here are a few of the most popular hikarimono fish used for sushi (and a few that are rarely used but do pop up from time to time):
Saba – Mackerel. Also see shime-saba for the pickled version
Kohada – Gizzard shad. Also see shinko for the young version where more than one whole fish is used per nigiri
Iwashi – Sardine
Sayori – Japanese halfbeak (one of my personal favorites)
Sawara – Spanish mackerel
Aji – Japanese horse mackerel
Sanma – Pacific saury
Kisu – Sillago / Japanese whiting / sand smelt
Shishamo – Capellin. Shishamo is mostly famous for its roe, called masago, but some chefs do make nigiri out of the actual fish. It is rare to see however but I find it quite delicious when prepared in a quick sujime (20 minutes). I do love a good shishamo nigiri however.
Kaiwari – Whitefin trevally
Common Preparation Methods For Hikarimono Fish
Due to the beautiful skin color of these fish, as well as the often rather small size, sushi chefs utilize a few different methods to prepare and present hikarimono fish. These methods stem from the beginning of sushi and are popular at Edomae style restaurants. While some fish are always prepared a certain way, one can get creative and try something new.
Konbujime
Konbujime refers to lightly curing fish between two pieces of seaweed. This seaweed, called kombu, is a great source of umami and salt, so it is a traditional method of preserving fish for sushi.
You will see the konbujime method on plenty of fish such as sayori and kisu
Sujime
One of the most popular preservation methods for hikarimono fish is sujime, or pickling in a salt and vinegar solution.
Pickling is a great way to prevent these fatty, silver fish from going rancid, so this method can be applied to any fish in the class. However if it almost always seen on fish like saba and kohada.
Fresh!
Serving hikarimono completely raw is something that can only be done now thanks to refrigeration. Due to the high fat content, these types of fish would become inedible rather quickly, which is why preservation methods were employed. However these days thanks to refrigeration technologies, plenty of places will serve hikarimono fresh – especially ones that have a fish tank at the restaurant to live kill fish right before service.
You will also find chefs that implement kazari bocho, the method of making decorative cuts to the fish to better showcase the skin and underlying meat. You will see this method on all types of fish, not just silver skin ones, however the latter almost always have cuts. For example in the iwashi photo there is one single slice, and in the shishamo photo the cuts are made in a cross-hatch pattern.
See Also
- Akami – Red Fish
- Shiromi – White Fish
- Kai – Shellfish