Tilefish (Amadai)

甘鯛

Amadai is moderately fatty but light, and is also faintly and fascinatingly sweet, which is amai in Japanese.  This may be the reason the fish is called amadai.  Amadai has been used in high-class cuisine for years and prized in Kyoto under the name of "Guji".  Amadai is eaten as sashimi, cooked with soy sauce and sugar, grilled with salt, steamed and more.

A popular recipe uses Japanese technique called "Matsukasa-Yaki", or more literally "pine-cone baking". The traditional method is to grill the fish (amadai) at a high temperature from afar. The delicate scales will cook gradually, resulting in a crisp texture.