Pacific cod (madara)
Madara peaks with the arrival of winter chill. Cod semen is gourmet treat, and particularly sweet and creamy at this time. Cod for sushi is kombu-cured, due to the fish’s watery, somewhat flavorless flesh, which also slackens over time. Curing with kombu removes excess moisture oozing out as a result wiped away, the fish placed between two sheets of kombu and lightly weighted. After a day the flesh has acquired enough of the kombu’s flavor, transforming madara into one of the choicest sushi varieties