Is Hokkaido Uni available in summer, and does quality change by season?
Yes — Hokkaido Bafun Uni is available through summer, with quality peaking in the cold-water months. Summer stock remains excellent. Bluefin Tuna, by contrast, carries less fat in summer as warmer water shifts metabolism. Both are available at Sashimi DC at Rice Market, 1608 14th St NW, Washington DC.
This Week's Uni — Bafun from Hokkaido
We have Bafun Uni (馬糞ウニ) from Hokkaido this week. This is the bold, intensely flavored variety — golden-orange in color, briny and sweet, the kind you'd encounter at a serious omakase counter. Quantities are limited as always; reserve online to guarantee your box before coming in.
Souvenir — Yuzu-Oroshi Dressing
This week's souvenir addition is a Yuzu-Oroshi dressing — a cold noodle or salad dressing made with fish dashi, grated daikon radish (oroshi), and yuzu peel, bound with soy sauce. The flavor is clean and refreshing: bright citrus from the yuzu, a gentle heat from the daikon, and the backbone of well-made dashi underneath.
The simplest use: cook udon or somen noodles, drain and chill, pour the dressing over. A hot-weather meal that takes under ten minutes. It also works well as a dipping sauce for Akami or white fish. Available at the storefront while supplies last.
- Main ingredients: Fish dashi, daikon radish, yuzu peel, soy sauce
- Allergens: Wheat, mackerel, soy
Anju — Summer Menu with Bluefin Akami
A collaboration highlight: Anju, the acclaimed Korean restaurant in Washington DC, has updated their summer menu and the lead new dish features our Bluefin Tuna Akami. The preparation — Bibimguksu — is a spicy gochujang cold noodle dish: buckwheat somen noodles, our Akami, watermelon, tomato, cucumber, and a gochujang dressing. It was reportedly the top-selling item from the moment it launched.
It's a genuinely interesting meeting of flavor systems: the iron-rich, clean umami of Nagasaki Akami against the fermented heat of gochujang, cut by the cool sweetness of summer fruit. If you're curious to see how a professional kitchen approaches the same fish you take home, this is worth an order the next time you're at Anju.
On the Yuzu-Oroshi dressing: If you have leftover Akami that's a day old, slice it thin and use this dressing as a marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. The acid and salt firm up the fish slightly and the yuzu adds a dimension that takes the day-old fish somewhere fresh.