Sea Bream

たい

A premium fish tied to celebrations through the pun 'medetai'. Wild production leads in Nagasaki, Ehime, and Fukuoka; farmed madai centers on Ehime, Mie, and Kumamoto. Known as the 'king of white-fleshed fish'

Taste & Texture

Delicate white-flesh with refined umami and subtle sweetness. Versatile — sashimi, salt-grilled, simmered, tai-meshi. Spring 'sakura-dai' (pre-spawning) has extra fat and pink-hued flesh

Season

MONTHLY AVAILABILITY

Feb - May

PEAK

※ Season is based on domestic field-grown availability

How to Choose

  • Clear, slightly protruding eyes; vivid red glossy skin.

  • Widely spread tail fin indicates freshness.

  • Fillets should be white to pink with minimal seepage.

How to Store

  • Remove entrails, wrap in paper towels, refrigerate 2-3 days.

  • Fillets: 1-2 days wrapped.

Shelf life 2-3 days refrigerated (whole); 1-2 days (fillets)

Nutrition Facts

Monthly Supply Volume

Supply Peak

Peak Month 5 691t
Annual Inflow 6,363 t
Inflow (t)
In season

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

Cheapest Apr ¥641/100g
Most Expensive Jan ¥671/100g

Annual Average

¥657/100g

Source: Statistics Bureau Retail Price Survey (2026)

Top Landing Prefectures

Ehime43.5%
Kumamoto10.9%
Kochi9.0%
Nagasaki6.6%
Mie4.3%
Others25.6%
10%+
5%+
2%+
0.1%+
None

Map data: National Land Numerical Information (MLIT Japan)

#
Prefecture
Production (t)
Share
1
39,332
43.5%
2
9,859
10.9%
3
8,099
9.0%
4
6,003
6.6%
5
3,913
4.3%

Source: MAFF Marine Fisheries Production Statistics (wild + aquaculture) (2023)

Top 5 Prefecture Production Trends (2018-2023)

Ehime
Kumamoto
Kochi
Nagasaki
Mie

Consumption Ranking

National Average (annual spending per household)

¥969 /year
#
City
Annual Spending
1
Kobe Hyogo
¥2,524
2
Kumamoto Kumamoto
¥2,284
3
Nara Nara
¥1,922
4
Saga Saga
¥1,889
5
Matsuyama Ehime
¥1,840

Source: Statistics Bureau Family Income and Expenditure Survey (2024, two-or-more-person households, prefectural capital cities)