TOKYO GROWN | Agriculture, forestry and fisheries general site in Tokyo

Characteristics of Japanese Butterfish: The Japanese Butterfish has big eyes, a feature that gives it its Japanese name, “medai,” which means “eye sea bream.” It has a black body and reaches 80 cm in length. It is distributed in all the waters off Japan, south of Hokkaido. When young, it lives near the surface of the sea, feeding on drifting seaweed, but when it is grown, it lives near the bottom of the sea, at a depth of 100 to 400 meters. The waters off the Izu-Ogasawara Islands are one of its major fishing grounds, and its main fishing method is pole-and-line. Around 236 tons were landed in 2014. It has mild white flesh and is used in a local dish on the Izu Islands called “Bekko Sushi,” which is made from slices of Japanese Butterfish marinated in soy sauce atop balls of vinegared rice. It is also suitable for various dishes such as shioyaki (grilled with salt), teriyaki (marinated in sweet soy sauce and broiled) and nitsuke (stewed in soy sauce).

Name	Japanese Butterfish

Japanese Butterfish