Kinmedai (Splendid alfonsino) is in season now.  This is because it is the most greasy from December to February.  Kinmedai has a beautiful crimson color, but when swimming in the sea, it is a pale crimson color and becomes darker after death.  It is mainly caught off the Pacific coast of Izu, Choshi, and Shikoku, but Shizuoka Prefecture is the largest producer of Kinmedai in Japan.  Fishing is especially popular in the Izu region, and the three major brands of “Susaki’s day-turning Kinme,” “Inatori Kinme,” and “Ito’s local Kinme” are famous.  Kinmedai is a white body  fish that is high in protein relative to the amount of fat and cholesterol and is easy to digest, so it is an important source of protein that is also gentle on the gastrointestinal tract.  However, Kinmedai has become a high-class fish in recent years, and it is not until January that it is available in general stores.

今、金目鯛が旬です。12月から2月にかけて最も脂がのっているからです。金目鯛は美しい紅色をしていますが、海の中で泳いでいる時は淡い紅色で、死後色が濃くなります。伊豆沖や銚子沖、四国など主に太平洋側の各地で漁獲されますが、静岡県が金目鯛の水揚げ量日本一の産地です。特に伊豆地方で漁が盛んで、「須崎の日戻り地金目」「稲取キンメ」「伊東の地キンメ」の3大ブランドが有名です。金目鯛は白身の魚で、脂肪分やコレステロールの量に対してタンパク質が多く、消化もしやすいので、胃腸にも優しい重要なタンパク源です。ただ金目鯛は近年すっかり高級魚になってしまって、一般の店頭に並ぶのは1月を過ぎてからです。