Went out on a limb and ordered a couple of Japanese tinned fish selections, including these Choshita Saury Kabayaki. These ended up being a little mystery to be solved, as the package received had no English, not even an added sticker like imported cans often do. Pacific saury, also known as sanma, is apparently a popular seasonal fish commonly enjoyed in the Japanese autumn. The kanji characters of the Japanese name literally translate as "autumn knife fish". It is a shallow water fish which grows to a length of about 12 inches.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 3.5/5.
What little research I had done about kabayaki prior to opening the can led me to expect a coloration characteristic of a soy sauce-based glaze. So, even though the brown color was not exactly appetizing (IMO), it wasn't a surprise.
I chose to consume these over a bowl of rice, which I understand is how they are commonly served. This allowed me to just pour out the entire contents so as to savor the entire preparation. "Kabayaki" means grilled and basted with a sweet and savory glaze. Although I have to say the grilled aspect might have been lost in the canning process. Either that or the glaze just overpowered any grilled flavor.
There were a few crunchy bones, maybe 3 or 4 vertebrae, but that was all that was apparent. I found nothing off-putting in either the texture or the flavor. I have a second can and might try frying them up before serving to see if that adds anything to the experience.
Brand: Choshita [Tawara Canning Co.Ltd]
Description: Saury Kabayaki
Species: Saury
Country of Origin: Japan
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $5-6