Top 56 Japanese Seafood Dishes

Otoro nigiri sushi is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of fatty cuts of tuna. Different cuts of tuna are classified as otoro (fatty), chutoro (medium-fatty), and akami (red meat). The dish has a rich flavor and a melt-in-the-mouth texture that makes it quite expensive. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side.Expand

Chutoro nigiri sushi is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of medium-fatty cuts of tuna. Different cuts of tuna are classified as otoro (fatty), chutoro (medium-fatty), and akami (red meat). The dish has a rich and deep flavor and a soft texture. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side.Expand

One of the most popular fresh seafood one-bowl donburi dishes, kaisendon consists of thinly sliced, assorted raw seafood called sashimi laid over freshly steamed rice. What kind of sashimi will be used in a kaisendon dish is not fixed, but the seafood selection depends on both location and season, and most often includes maguro (tuna), tai (sea bream), ama ebi (deep-water shrimps), hotate (scallops), uni (sea urchin), kani (crab), and sometimes even marinated ikura (salmon roe). Apart from sashimi, kaisendon is typically topped with toasted nori seaweed, myoga ginger, shiso or Japanese basil, cucumber, onions, and either fresh or pickled ginger. Before being placed on a bed of steamy rice, all of the ingredients are drizzled with wasabi-laced soy sauce, and the kaisendon bowl is lastly garnished with some white sesame seeds, white radish sprouts, and wasabi paste. In Japan, fresh seafood donburi dishes have a huge following; light yet nutritious, they make for a great lunch option and can be found at any sushi restaurant.Expand

Maguro nigiri sushi is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of tuna. Different cuts of tuna are classified as otoro (fatty), chutoro (medium-fatty), and akami (red meat). The dish has a mild flavor and a rich texture that makes it great for sushi newcomers. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side.Expand

Hotate nigiri sushi is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with fresh raw scallops. The dish has a soft texture and mild flavors, making it a great intermediate-level sushi. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side. This type of nigiri sushi is popular with both adults and children.Expand

Sake nigiri sushi is a Japanese type of nigiri sushi, with origins in Norway. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of salmon. The dish has a soft texture and a clean finish that makes it good for sushi newcomers, although the flavor can be a bit fishier than maguro (tuna) nigiri sushi. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side.Expand

Nigiri or nigirizushi is a special kind of hand-pressed sushi where the meat is sliced and pressed on top of sushi rice. It was developed in Tokyo (then called Edo) during the 1800s. Sometimes, nori seaweed is used to wrap the whole concoction and keep it together. The topping is usually seafood such as shrimp, tuna, haddock, or eel, and it should always be fresh and of the highest quality. Traditionally, nigirizushi is paired with shiso leaves, wasabi, soy sauce, or pickled ginger. It is sometimes garnished with daikon and salted seaweed. The dish is traditionally eaten by hand, in a single bite.Expand

Unadon is a Japanese dish consisting of grilled unagi (eel) fillets placed on top of steamed rice. The eel is grilled kabayaki-style, where the fish is split, gutted, butterflied, cut into squares, skewered, then diped in tare sauce before being grilled. The tare sauce consists of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake. It provides the necessary caramelization to the fish during the grilling process. Before serving, unadon is typically garnished with sanshō berries on top. In Kantō, the eel is traditionally steamed before grilling, resulting in a more tender texture of the fish, while in Kansai, the eel is simply grilled without prior steaming. This way of enjoying eel over rice was invented in the Edo era, and nowadays it is a classic dish in Japanese cuisine.Expand

Akami nigiri is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of akami (red meat) tuna. There are also otoro (fatty tuna) nigiri sushi and chutoro (medium-fatty tuna) nigiri sushi varieties, and all of them are classified under maguro (tuna) nigiri sushi. Akami includes tuna and bonito, and the meat gets its red color from the high content of myoglobin and hemoglobin, which is typical for migratory fish. The slices are on the thicker side and the focus is on tuna's sticky and firm texture. Akami nigiri sushi is usually served with pickled ginger (gari), soy sauce, and wasabi on the side.Expand

Hamachi nigiri sushi is a traditional type of nigiri sushi. It consists of hand-pressed sushi rice that's topped with slices of young Japanese amberjack, also known as yellowtail tuna. The dish has a soft texture and flavors that are not as deep as salmon nigiri sushi or tuna nigiri sushi. The fish is sometimes seared with a blowtorch until lightly charred. Traditionally, this type of sushi is eaten by hand in a single bite. It's usually accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger (gari) on the side. The lower quality version of this dish is known as buri nigiri sushi, prepared with older and bigger yellowtail tuna.Expand