Kohada 小肌

Also called gizzard shad, shinko, konoshiro

Gizzard shad cured in vinegar, a signature of Edomae sushi. Chefs are judged on how they balance the salt and vinegar.

Kohada is a dotted gizzard shad (Konosirus punctatus). In Tokyo it changes name as it grows: shinko when tiny, kohada at about 7 to 10 cm, then nakazumi, then konoshiro.

It is cured in vinegar, which makes it one of the hikari-mono, the shiny silver-skinned fish. The fish is small and thin, so getting the cure right is hard, and that is why kohada is treated as a test of a sushi chef.

Koiwashi, baby sardines, can look a lot like kohada on the plate. The garnish and the smell usually give it away.

See alsoOmakase