喉黒 · ノドグロ · nodoguro
Nodoguro
Nodoguro is blackthroat seaperch — a luxury white fish so rich it's nicknamed 'white toro'. Intensely fatty, it's usually flame-seared to melt the fat.
- Also known as
- akamutsu, rosy seabass
- Species
- Doederleinia berycoides (Blackthroat seaperch (rosy seabass))
- Category
- White-flesh fish (shiromi)
- Texture
- melting — buttery, rich, deep umami
- Peak season
- Oct, Nov, Dec
- Sustainability
- varies — Prized deep-water fish; status varies by region.
- Mercury
- Not in the FDA consumer table
- Pregnancy
- Eat in moderation
- Price tier
- $$$$
“White toro”
Nodoguro — its name means “black throat” — is a white-fleshed fish that breaks the usual rule that shiromi are lean. It is extraordinarily fatty, marbled and buttery enough to earn the nickname “white toro” (shiro no toro), and it commands prices to match.
Eat it warm
Because the appeal is all in the fat, nodoguro is frequently flame-seared (aburi): the heat liquefies the marbling so it coats the palate. It’s a special-occasion fish, the luxe end of the white-fish spectrum above even fatty kinmedai.