Choshita Archives - Sardeenz!

I purchased these Choshita Sardine Kabayaki as part of a combo assortment along with some Saury Kabayaki. I was curious to see what type of sardine it would be, but I'm still not sure. It appears to be fillets of a fish too large to be packed whole in the can. I'll have to assume it's one of the species found in the Pacific Northwest.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3.5/5.

The aroma and appearance are about the same as the same brand of saury kabayaki. The sauce obscures whatever color the meat might be. The flavor was also virtually indistinguishable, the preparation and sauce overpowering the fish flavor. More bones evident than in the saury as well. The meat is tender, though, and not dry at all.

More Than Expected

Out over rice, there's substantially more fish than what appears to be in the just-opened can, which is not all that deep.

I chose to dump most of the can liquid out over everything, to try to get the most flavor from it.

As I worked my way through the bowl, I found myself thinking how much better I liked the kabayaki treatment in combination with the rice.

All in all, the lackluster appearance aside, I thought this was pretty good.

English Translation

I decided to see if I could translate the Japanese-only packaging, and Google Lens was able to accomplish that in a snap. I'll use it next time I encounter a non-English package.

See it on Amazon.

Brand: Choshita [Tawara Canning Co.Ltd]
Description: Sardine Kabayaki
Species: ?
Country of Origin: Japan
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

I went out on a limb and ordered a couple of Japanese tinned fish selections, including these Choshita Saury Kabayaki. They 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.

Main Takeaways

Preparation style overpowers the flavor of the fish
Might be better heated

See it on Amazon.

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