What is Masago?

As a sushi restaurant, we are aware that some of our culinary terminology may be lost during our visitors' dining experiences. After all, sushi may be about food and culture exploration, but it's not uncommon to see diner's stick to their favorite rolls and dishes over and over. Because we want all of our customers to understand Japanese cuisine and culture, it is our goal to educate everyone on some of these confusions on this blog.

One of the major questions we receive (probably because it is in a lot of sushi rolls) is "What is this Masago stuff?"

Well, according to sustainablesushi.net, it is:

Masago is the processed roe (eggs) of the capelin, a small fish that exists in vast quantities throughout the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is generally orange-red in color and is often used as a garnish or to top pieces of nigiri. It should not be confused with tobiko, the roe of the flying fish, which is similar in color but more transparent and slightly larger.

As you can tell from the description, masago is not much of a culinary discovery, considering that it is used very often in our dishes. 

The fact of the matter - You love masago. You just may not know that you do. If you are a serious sushi lover, you probably never even thought to wonder what the orange stuff was. You just want to consume the deliciousness. And we understand that. We often do the same.

Hopefully, this blog post has educated you on masago and will allow you to order off of our menu with more wisdom next time around. 

Look for more of these informative posts coming throughout 2010.