星鰈 · ホシガレイ · hoshigarei
Hoshigarei
Hoshigarei is spotted halibut — the aristocrat of the flounder family, a winter white fish so prized it can outprice hirame, with firm, sweet flesh and superb engawa.
- Also known as
- spotted halibut, star flounder
- Species
- Verasper variegatus (Spotted halibut)
- Category
- White-flesh fish (shiromi)
- Texture
- firm, fine-grained — sweet, clean, refined
- Peak season
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Sustainability
- varies — A scarce, high-value flatfish supported in places by stock-enhancement (seed release); status varies.
- Mercury
- Not in the FDA consumer table
- Pregnancy
- Eat in moderation
- Price tier
- $$$$
The king of flatfish
Hoshigarei is spotted halibut, and among Japan’s many flatfish it sits at the very top — a karei (right-eyed flounder) so esteemed that in season it can outprice even hirame. The flesh is firm, fine-grained and cleanly sweet, with a refinement that justifies both the legend and the bill.
Read the spots
The name means “star flounder”: the blind underside and the fins carry distinct dark, star-like spots, an easy tell that separates a premium hoshigarei from an ordinary karei. Like every flatfish it yields engawa — and hoshigarei’s fin muscle is exceptional.
Winter prize
Best from late autumn through early spring, hoshigarei is the connoisseur’s white fish — the luxury end of the flatfish family.
Related neta
Hirame
Hirame is olive flounder (fluke) — a lean, delicate white fish at its best in winter. Its thin fin muscle, engawa, is a prized chewy delicacy.
鰈 kareiKarei
Karei is the right-eye flounder family — hirame's close cousin, leaner and often at its best in summer (the seasons are flipped). Telling them apart is a classic test.
縁側 engawaEngawa
Engawa is the chewy, fatty fin muscle of flatfish — the frilly strip that powers a flounder's fin. Rich and gelatinous, it's a connoisseur's cut, usually served raw or lightly seared.