Taste & Texture
Peak autumn sanma is fatty and highly flavorful — salt-grilling brings out aromatic richness. The bitter innards are prized by connoisseurs. Served salt-grilled with grated daikon and sudachi is the classic
Season
How to Choose
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Glossy blue-black backs; yellow-tinted mouths are a traditional rule of thumb for fat content.
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Clear eyes and firm flesh indicate freshness.
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Larger sizes tend to be fattier.
How to Store
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Remove entrails, wrap in paper towels, refrigerate 1 day.
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Cleaned and frozen, keeps 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
ENERGY CONTENT
287
KCAL
Source: Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th ed.) 2020
Monthly Supply Volume
Supply Peak
Source: MAFF Seafood Distribution Survey (monthly cold-storage inflow) (2024). Monthly cold-storage inflow — used as a supply-signal proxy when national monthly wholesale prices are not published.
Retail Price
Price Trend
Annual Average
¥197/100g
Source: Statistics Bureau Retail Price Survey (2025)
Top Landing Prefectures
Map data: National Land Numerical Information (MLIT Japan)
Source: MAFF Marine Fisheries Production Statistics (wild catch) (2023)
Top 5 Prefecture Production Trends (2018-2023)
Consumption Ranking
National Average (annual spending per household)
Source: Statistics Bureau Family Income and Expenditure Survey (2024, two-or-more-person households, prefectural capital cities)