This Week's Fish — Bafun Uni, Murasaki Uni, Madai, Mahata
The market has been slowly improving after the windy conditions of the past two weeks. This week we received Bafun Uni, Murasaki Uni, Hotate (Hokkaido Scallops), and Madai (Sea Bream) as the main weekly items. Nagasaki Bluefin Tuna is available as always in all cuts.
One holdover from last week worth noting: the Mahata (Sevenband Grouper) fillet that arrived last week has continued to age and is now at peak flavor — the enzymatic activity that concentrates umami in dense white fish reaches its optimum around five to seven days with proper cold storage. This is the last window to order it before we move on. Ask at the counter.
Shipment Schedule — Two Notes for Next Week
Two logistical notes for customers planning orders:
- This Monday was a public holiday in Japan, which delayed this week's shipment by one day. Everything arrived Tuesday and is fresh — the delay affects timing, not quality.
- Next week, due to a logistics adjustment at the Fukuoka–Haneda–Dulles routing, the Bluefin Tuna will arrive on Thursday rather than Wednesday. All other fish will arrive Wednesday as usual. If you are specifically planning around Bluefin, plan for Thursday availability next week.
Wine Logistics — Oregon and California Shipments En Route
A brief update on something we've been working on in the background: we are finalizing the logistics for wine transport from Oregon and California producers, working toward carrying bottles from Shiba Wichern Cellars and Six Cloves Wines at Rice Market and using them for future Wine & Fish Pairing events.
Both producers are Japanese women winemakers working in Oregon and California respectively, and both make wines that pair with our fish in ways that go beyond the usual white-wine-with-seafood formula. Shiba Wichern's Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley, with their precise, minerally structure, work exceptionally well against the clean fat of Bluefin. Six Cloves' California Zinfandel — bold, spice-forward, and with enough acidity to cut through richness — is a genuinely unexpected pairing with Otoro that works better than you'd expect.
The wines are not yet in stock. We'll announce when they arrive.
On holiday-related shipping delays: Japanese public holidays occur roughly once a month throughout the year. When a holiday falls on a Monday — the typical day for our weekly shipment to process through Toyosu — the delivery shifts to Tuesday or Wednesday. We always communicate these shifts in advance. If you're planning a specific dinner around our fish, it's worth checking for holiday conflicts in the Japanese calendar.