Protected local food
Miyagi Salmon
みやぎサーモン
Coho salmon farmed in the deep, cool bays of Miyagi's Sanriku coast, the birthplace of coho farming in Japan. Handled with ikejime and eaten as sashimi.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 26 May 2017
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- みやぎサーモン
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 宮城県石巻市、女川町、南三陸町、気仙沼市
Where Japan's coho farming began
Japan's coho salmon farming began in Miyagi around 1976, and the prefecture still produces more than 90 percent of the country's farmed coho. The ria coast, with its deep, sheltered inlets, gives calm water that stays below 20°C until late July, cool enough for coho.
Ikejime for freshness
Each fish is killed and bled with ikejime, a Japanese method that keeps fish fresh for longer. The flesh is glossy and firm, firm enough that a knife feels like it grips. Around 1996 farmers switched from raw fish feed to formulated feed and kept improving how they keep the fish fresh.
How to eat it
It is fresh enough for sashimi and sushi, with no fishy smell, and it also works grilled, in rice bowls or in Western dishes. Ishinomaki, Onagawa, Minamisanriku and Kesennuma are the farming towns.
Good to know
- Onagawa and Minamisanriku have seaside markets where you can eat salmon rice bowls by the water.
- In Tohoku, also try Maesawa beef in neighbouring Iwate.
Questions travellers ask
Is Miyagi Salmon safe to eat raw?
Yes. It is farmed, handled with ikejime and sold fresh for sashimi.
What kind of salmon is it?
Coho salmon (ginzake in Japanese), farmed in the bays of the Sanriku coast.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.