I thought this would be a fun post – if you go to a lot of sushi restaurants overseas (or honestly even in Japan) you’ll get to try a lot of brands of fish. Typically these are there to indicate some level of provenance, what techniques were used to dispatch the fish and then process it afterwards, and/or certain fat levels
The most typical of these branded fish in the US, at least in my experience, tends to be Aji. The photos in this post are some of the more common brands that you could be able to try:
1. Tenryo Aji from Amakusa from Shion 69 Leonard in NYC. Shion has actually just left the restaurant so this may not be possible to try in the states anymore but it’s a lesser known brand with the same ikejime + shinkeijime processing that essentially all the top brands have. This is honestly up there for one of the better fish I’ve had in the states – they sell them both young and old n both are uniquely fantastic. One to keep an eye out for / request if you’ve got a relationship with your sushi chef
2. Seki Aji from Katsu in Mountain View, CA. Katsu is a spot I like a lot but haven’t visited much since tariffs just cuz it’s made sourcing so prohibitively difficult. Seki aji in the states arrives from many vendors – I mostly see ueken (lol) and sakasyu importing it. There’s a lot of information available about the product online but I find it a reliable workhorse of an Aji. I’m never in love with it but I always enjoy it
3. Ougon Aji from Sushi Shin in RWC, CA. This piece got no yakumo (haven’t seen a suribachi at any of these places so assuming it’s not atari negi) and no wasabi surprisingly enough – just grated ginger underneath in an old school prep. Of these I’d say this wasn’t notably spectacular but I’ve had it in Japan and the most notable thing I’d say is really just how fuckin big some of these can be. Pretty fun but I wouldn’t really seek it out like I would the tenryo/Senzaki that’s coming up
4. Senzaki Aji from Sushi Yoshizumi in San Mateo, CA. I like Yoshi a lot and this senzaki “toro” aji is one of my favorite brands of aji. The fat is spectacular when it’s older and the meatiness is quite good when it’s younger. They sell some beautiful fish and if you can track it down, it’s worth trying out for sure!
Branded fish are really more of a “trust me” type stamp for customers and chefs alike but they’re still excellent products and frankly most of the best Aji I’ve had outside of Japan has tended to be from a certain brand. Lmk if you’ve had any of these before and what you thought, or if there’s other brands of aji you may have had before that I didn’t mention – always fun to find new stuff to be on the hunt for
Fuzzy_Welcome8348
therealjerseytom
Interesting deep dive. Aji is a favorite of mine in general.
Boollish
Very nice. Love the artistic cuts.
Sazuki_Nemo_58
Aji is so underrated when it is treated this carefully.
5 Comments
I thought this would be a fun post – if you go to a lot of sushi restaurants overseas (or honestly even in Japan) you’ll get to try a lot of brands of fish. Typically these are there to indicate some level of provenance, what techniques were used to dispatch the fish and then process it afterwards, and/or certain fat levels
The most typical of these branded fish in the US, at least in my experience, tends to be Aji. The photos in this post are some of the more common brands that you could be able to try:
1. Tenryo Aji from Amakusa from Shion 69 Leonard in NYC. Shion has actually just left the restaurant so this may not be possible to try in the states anymore but it’s a lesser known brand with the same ikejime + shinkeijime processing that essentially all the top brands have. This is honestly up there for one of the better fish I’ve had in the states – they sell them both young and old n both are uniquely fantastic. One to keep an eye out for / request if you’ve got a relationship with your sushi chef
2. Seki Aji from Katsu in Mountain View, CA. Katsu is a spot I like a lot but haven’t visited much since tariffs just cuz it’s made sourcing so prohibitively difficult. Seki aji in the states arrives from many vendors – I mostly see ueken (lol) and sakasyu importing it. There’s a lot of information available about the product online but I find it a reliable workhorse of an Aji. I’m never in love with it but I always enjoy it
3. Ougon Aji from Sushi Shin in RWC, CA. This piece got no yakumo (haven’t seen a suribachi at any of these places so assuming it’s not atari negi) and no wasabi surprisingly enough – just grated ginger underneath in an old school prep. Of these I’d say this wasn’t notably spectacular but I’ve had it in Japan and the most notable thing I’d say is really just how fuckin big some of these can be. Pretty fun but I wouldn’t really seek it out like I would the tenryo/Senzaki that’s coming up
4. Senzaki Aji from Sushi Yoshizumi in San Mateo, CA. I like Yoshi a lot and this senzaki “toro” aji is one of my favorite brands of aji. The fat is spectacular when it’s older and the meatiness is quite good when it’s younger. They sell some beautiful fish and if you can track it down, it’s worth trying out for sure!
Branded fish are really more of a “trust me” type stamp for customers and chefs alike but they’re still excellent products and frankly most of the best Aji I’ve had outside of Japan has tended to be from a certain brand. Lmk if you’ve had any of these before and what you thought, or if there’s other brands of aji you may have had before that I didn’t mention – always fun to find new stuff to be on the hunt for
Interesting deep dive. Aji is a favorite of mine in general.
Very nice. Love the artistic cuts.
Aji is so underrated when it is treated this carefully.