Next time you're out for sushi try to ask the chef or server if they have any Hamachikama. Your tastebuds will thank you!

Yellowtail

Hamachi is the Japanese name for Pacific Yellowtail, which is commonly used in sushi and sashimi. Ironically enough, if you have heard of the name before, you may be thinking of the remote access program called; LogMeIn Hamachi. I can imagine that these guys really like their fish! So what makes this one item stand leagues above the rest? Two things; Availability and taste.

My boyfriend received a fish sample from a distributor and wanted to make a creation involving sashimi and kama. This fish is called Hiramasa and the difference being that Amberjack Yellowtail has a more genuine fish taste, where Hamachi has a similar texture to Tuna, with a more buttery taste. Hiramasa is rarer to see than Hamachi as this fish is native to Japan. Another Yellowtail called Kanpachi, comes from Australia. All of them can be cooked or used in sashimi/sushi.

Availability

Even if you regularly enjoy going out for sushi, there's a strong chance that you've never heard of Hamachikama before. You may not know you can even order it, as many places do not list it on their menu! The styles that it can be served as are; broiled, fried, and deep fried. This secret item is categorized as "Limited Availability", because there actually isn't enough to go around.

Fishy Anatomy

When breaking down a fish at a sushi restaurant, chefs try to use as much of the quality meat as possible. That's why when you order Tuna as nigiri/sashimi, there are three kinds based on the meat quality from the same fish. There is Maguro, which is the normal meat, Chutoro which is medium fatty, and Otoro- the fattiest grade and most delicious tasting meat of the Tuna. Different dishes use different parts of the fish, this also reflects in the price.

Travis shows what a Hamachi sashimi cut looks like. The texture looks like a softly colored tuna. This is the buttery appearance of a yellowtail! Not to be confused as yellowfin!

Hamachikama is the collar/neck/shoulder of the Yellowtail, and if the fish was broken down recently, there are only going to be two halves of the fish, meaning only two orders total. The chefs are not going to throw this part out. The meat around the fin is the fattiest and most delicious part. Since a lot of people don't know about this item, they will probably save it for their own meal later or offer it to a good friend.

How I Heard About It

I worked in a Japanese sushi restaurant for almost 8 months, and only had it ordered twice in my presence, both times by the same person. People who enjoy Hamachikama, love it more than any other fish, second to none. It is lighter and fluffier tasting than tuna, and this is the only time I'll give credit to fish being able to melt in my mouth.

The first time I heard about Hamachi was from my friend Kevin, as that is his favorite fish, he would always rave about Hamachi Carpaccio, or Hamachikama. He's now a sushi chef, along with quite a few of my other friends. I used to think he was sort of weird, until I actually tried it for myself.

In Order By Taste

(in my opinion!!)

• Hamachikama (Pacific Yellowtail)
• Misoyaki Butterfish (Black Cod)
• Saba (Mackerel)
• Salmon
• Mahi-Mahi (Dolphin fish)

Whether fried or raw, if the quality is good... You won't need as much sauce or flavor trying to mask its real taste! Hamachi shines well for having a genuinely nice flavor.

A few weeks ago there was a FOH (front of house) contest for bussers and hosts to seat more customers for dinner than the previous day. If we succeeded, we all get free dinner of our choice. I was really a skeptic and thought that now, it might be my chance to try it. If I didn't like it, at least it would be free c: Everyone at our store hustled hard, and we had about 480 people for one dinner seating! I ordered the legendary item to take home and enjoy. Following the instructions Travis gave me prior, I only ordered it salt, pepper, and fried. When I got home, I saw that there was a ponzu sauce container, daikon, and a lemon. I only squeezed the lemon, due to preference. The kama was way softer than it looked.

I thought someone had played a trick on me, the lemon brought out so much flavor, I could not believe that there were no other ingredients in it. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. If you like fish, I promise you will be blown away. I recommended you ask next time; "may I please order the Hamachikama?" Especially if you don't see it on the menu.

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...I'm going to go make some food now.