Niigata Cold Buri

Niigata Encyclopedia

Niigata Buri is Yellowtail and sometimes is called "Kanburi" that means Cold Yellowtail as it is caught up North where the waters are much colder and is said to affect the firmness and flavor.

The Largest Buri Catch (Yellowtail) comes from the Niigata fishermen of Sado Island and some Awashima Island where they caught over 20 tons of fish in the height of the season where it was sold for nearly 2,000 yen per kilogram. Buri is known in the prefecture as the defacto fish, but places that are famous for catches are Nagasaki, Fukui, Ishikawa and Hokkaido.  While it is great to know the highest highs of the season there is a growing concern for overfishing and what fisheries in Niigata are doing to bring up the numbers of fish populations to lessen the affects or pay respects to the fish they have caught, instead of just praying and blaming nature. Sado island has become so known for their Buri catches that it has gotten the attention of Donburi fans who say that "Burikatsudon" is part of the prefectures most known Donburi. 

Standard Buri Parasites that consumers are not that aware about where Wild Yellowtail are oftentimes actually full of visible and invisible parasites as many Tuna if not all Tuna varieties. If it is untreated the meat of the fish can be pressed with a finger and the parasites will be gushing out. 
 

Eating Yellowtail the homedish of Buri Radish is common as well as having it Grilled, but of course people do eat it as Sushi and Sashimi. The flavor can be described as a balance of clean and greasy aftertaste. Many people actually can't have more than a bite or two of buri due to the large amount of greasiness. Too off the greasy after taste of fat it is often preferred to torch grill the outside, or fully grill the oil out with teriyaki sauce, or cook it a bit with other vegetables to flavor all sorts of things. The fat content is great for those who do cooking, because it also means it is great for sauces, hotpots, soups, and stews. Grilled Squid, Cuttlefish, or Octopus marinade often contains Buri Oil as a part of some secret recipes that give it a even more delicious flavor. 

Climate change has caused the ocean waters to rise and Ishikawa as well as Niigata have seen drastic changes in the time that Buri are caught as well as where they are caught due to the water temperature. After the Fukushima Shiga nuclear power plant incident where radiation had been passed on to much of Japan's sealife there are many who are hesitant or avoid eating seafood altogether. Consumers have taken a liking to understanding Farmed Fish products and have begun to turn more to such products due to unreported radiation testing of fish, but also because the farmed varieties flavor is competing with the wild caught fish that carry a price that is half the amount. It is a fixed stereotype that Wild Caught is better then farmed, but that idea is being challenged as people start to be able to understand how to farm delicious fish. 

Sake Pairing of Seafood depends on all sorts of factors and the catches flavor depends on what suggested sake would go best with it.


Online, for those sharing mems there is a term in Japanese called Burikko and it is compared with the name of Buri the fish and that it brings up the idea of a innocently acting and cute Buri Fish or Girl who has a large interest in a cute way the Buri Fish.

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https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c7e039530e8b060edbe2610c0499d16a2ce472af