Japanese Name: 鮗【Konoshiro】
English Name: Gizzard Shad
Gizzard shads live in a wide area, from brackish water (between sea water and fresh water) to sea water. They grow to become 10cm after a year of hatching, and 15cm during the 2nd year. The price setting is different from usual fish; they are sold at around 20,000 yens / kg when they are small (shinko), while this drops to 1,000 yen / kg when they mature. In Japan, younger fish are considered to be pure, and this is why shinkos are pretty expensive.
These are the parrs which are about 5cm. Its taste is pretty simple like other juvenile fish, and people who like them easily devour 10 to 20 of them.
The silver skinned favorite, spotted shad, is what becomes of the shinko when it grows to become 7-10cm. They have plenty of fat, and could be said to be at its prime to be made into sushi.
This is what the spotted shad looks like when it becomes over 12cm. This is about 2 years after hatching, and it is like a rather large spotted shad.
They start being called gizzard shad when they grow over 15cm, loosing popularity. Their names change according to their growth: shinko→kohada(spotted shad) →nakazumi→konoshiro(gizzard shad).
Gizzard shad have quite a few tiny bones. Therefore, they are the perfect choice to consume calcium. They are also rich in vitamin B2s, which are good for lifestyle-related diseases, and unsaturated fat acids which reduce bad cholesterol. Thus, they can be recommended to people who do not maintain a proper diet.