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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
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    • Food Photography
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Dish of the Week: Kohada from Sushi Ii, Newport Beach

  • July 27, 2020
  • Brad A. Johnson
Kohada is an acquired taste. But the taste of this little fish also depends greatly on the skill of the chef. That’s why it is often said that sushi chefs judge each other by their kohada, or gizzard shad.
Hokada, seasonal gizzard shad, from the temporary takeout menu at Sushi Ii in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

A close relative to herring or white anchovies, gizzard shad is far more popular in Japan than it is in the United States. Because it is such an oily, intensely flavored fish, tradition dictates that it should first be salted or brined, then washed or soaked with fermented rice wine before being crafted into sushi. Finding the perfect formula of time and technique for this little fish is a rite of passage for sushi chefs.

Kohada is the specific term for baby shad that are between two and four inches long. At this stage of their growth, their skin is silvery blueish green along the spine, fading quickly to a brilliant silver body that looks like jewelry. The flesh underneath is pink, like a grapefruit.

While some masters salt their shad for days. others insist on merely a few minutes. Susumu Ii, the chef/owner at Sushi Ii in Newport Beach, isn’t much of a talker so I don’t know the whole story behind his kohada. But I can tell you this: It is absolutely delicious. And beautiful. The chef drapes a single jewel-like fillet over a diminutive lump of lukewarm rice. The flesh is elegantly gashed to reveal the contrasting flesh underneath. I wrote about Sushi Ii recently for the Orange County Register.

Chef/owner Susumu Ii at Sushi Ii in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the James Beard Awards, Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, World Food Media Awards, pdn Food Photography Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as restaurant critic for the Orange County Register.

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Brad A. Johnson
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Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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