yellowtail | Blind Bat News

08 April 2019 (07:16 UTC-07 Tango 06) 19 Farvardin 1398/02 Sha’ban 1440/04 Wu-Chen 4717

There’s a type of fish that is expensive, because it’s in high demand by connoisseur–ed sushi lovers and because it quickly goes ‘bad’ once harvested: Amberjack (aka Yellowtail).

Japanese Yellowtail (aka Buri)

In Japan it’s called Buri (typically pronounced with a -D- sound making it sound like boo-dy), only two days after harvest the meat begins to lose color, turning grey. Back in January, Japanese news reports said a fish farm on the west side of the island of Shikoku began feeding the fish chocolate right before harvest. The result was that the meat kept its color five days after harvest.

Chocolate infused fish food pellets, looking like chocolate chip cookie dough, yummy

Now the man who is credited with the idea, Kiwada Kenichi of the Uwajima Project, is in California trying to pawn his chocolate fed fish to local sushi joints. Eaters in Los Angeles were asked to be guinea pigs and taste the meat, which traveled all the way from Japan. According to an NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoukai/Japan Broadcasting Corporation) report everybody loved it.

Chocolate keeps the meat fresh because chocolate is an antioxidant. According to Wikipedia “Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, thereby leading to chain reactions that may damage the cells of organisms.” Feeding the fish chocolate before they die keeps the meat fresh for up to three days longer than if they didn’t eat chocolate.

California Yellowtail (Amberjack)

Amberjack species are found from California to Japan. The fish is so in demand that in 2014 a Yellowtail farm was started off the coast of San Diego. In 2018 it was reported that Hawaii was experiencing an “abundance” of Yellowtail catches. Bottom line is that the fish is worth big money, Kiwada Kenichi estimates his chocolate fed Buri will bring in $18-million USD per Gregorian year by 2021.