The long, record-breaking hot summer hasn't been good for sanma, or Pacific saury. Catches of this normally inexpensive fixture of the fall dinner table in Japanese homes have been so poor that its prices have skyrocketed — if you can find any to buy at all. Another popular fish that is in peak season at this time of year, salmon, is also in shorter supply than usual, due to the warm waters caused by the blistering heat of the summer.
That doesn't mean that you have to forgo the pleasures of fish. Even if sanma is off the menu this year, you can still pick up other aozakana (blue-skinned fish), which are at their peak in the cooler months. Their flesh is rich with the heart-beneficial omega-3 oil that makes them so moist and tasty, as they prepare for the cold waters of winter and spawning season.
A tasty blue fish that seems to be in plentiful supply right now is ma-aji, a type of horse mackerel. Ma-aji can be eaten as sashimi if it's very fresh, or simply salt-grilled, which is my favorite way to enjoy it. Saba (mackerel) is also fairly inexpensive right now — another fish that's great grilled, or stewed in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin (sweet cooking wine), sake and lots of fresh ginger.