Source · fishery
Oma bluefin tuna fishery
Tsugaru Strait, Aomori prefecture, JP
Placeholder fishery entry — Oma is a small port at the northern tip of Honshu where local boats line-catch (*ippon-zuri*) bluefin in the cold winter currents. A single Oma bluefin holds the Tsukiji/Toyosu New Year auction record almost every year, with prices that make headlines. Most catches are split between Tokyo wholesalers, top-tier sushi-ya, and increasingly the Hong Kong / Shanghai luxury market.
The sushi industry’s prestige fish, caught one at a time, on a single hook, from a single boat. The Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido is where the migrating Pacific bluefin meet cold currents and slow down — the cold makes the fat (the toro belly) richer and the texture firmer.
Products
- bluefin tuna
- maguro
- chu-toro
- o-toro
In season
- bluefin tuna · Nov – Jan
Used in · 3
- OnigiriHand-pressed rice balls wrapped in nori, often hiding a piece of salted salmon, pickled plum, or bonito flakes — Japan's portable lunch for twelve centuries.
- SashimiSliced raw fish, ice-cold and knife-cut, served on a leaf with grated wasabi — the Japanese dish that has no cook, only a knife.
- Shoyu RamenSoy-tare-seasoned ramen with a clear chicken or pork-and-chicken broth — Tokyo's original ramen and the form everything else is measured against.