Kakujoe Gyorui Offers Limited-Time Niigata-Grown Ike-jime Sado Salmon Across All Stores

Kakujoe Gyorui Holdings Co., Ltd. of Nagaoka, Niigata, which operates the fresh fish specialty chain Kakujoe Gyorui, is selling “ike-jime Sado Salmon” for a limited time. Sado Salmon is a domestically farmed salmon raised on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture by Nissui Salmon Co., Ltd., a Nissui Group company. Kakujoe Gyorui, which originated in Teradomari, Niigata, has long worked to bring customers fresh and delicious seafood from the Sea of Japan landed in Niigata. The company says Sado Salmon raised on Sado Island is exactly the kind of local Niigata seafood it wants to deliver to more customers. The Sado Salmon landing season begins in early May and is limited to around mid-June. During this short early-summer window, all Kakujoe Gyorui stores are offering the salmon in a wide range of formats, including whole fish, sashimi blocks, sushi sets featuring seared salmon and rolls, and freshly fried salmon cutlets. Stores have set up limited-time special sections featuring Sado Salmon menus such as sushi and sashimi. At the fresh fish counter, customers can request free preparation, including three-piece filleting, cuts, and sashimi blocks. Whole fish, half fish, sashimi blocks, and tray-packed cuts are also available. The ike-jime Sado Salmon is recommended as sashimi, with moderate fat and rich umami. Products include sashimi packs priced at 480 yen for six slices and 340 yen for four slices, as well as sashimi blocks suitable for hand rolls, poke bowls, and other dishes. Sushi items include a “Sado Salmon Assortment” for 750 yen, Sado Salmon nigiri sets at 540 yen for six pieces and 360 yen for four pieces, and pressed Sado Salmon sushi at 400 yen for four pieces. Prepared foods include freshly fried Sado Salmon cutlets for 400 yen, Sado Salmon nanbanzuke for 400 yen, and other daily handmade items such as salt-grilled salmon. Availability, prices, and product formats may vary by store and supply conditions, and sales end when daily quantities sell out. The high-quality, high-freshness ike-jime Sado Salmon is raised in the Sea of Japan. Most Sado Salmon are hatched in Tainai, Niigata, using clear natural underground water from the Tainai River system, whose source lies in the Echigo Asahi-Iide mountain range. The juvenile fish are later transferred to farms off Sado Island, where clear deep waters and fast currents help them grow with firm flesh and high-quality fat. After roughly ten months of growth, the salmon are landed and immediately processed one by one using the ike-jime method. Although this requires extra labor and cost, the process helps drain blood, maintain freshness for longer, reduce fishy odor, and preserve the salmon’s umami. Kakujoe Gyorui says this season’s Sado Salmon are large and well-fattened, with quality endorsed by the company’s buyer. Its official YouTube channel also features footage of the salmon swimming in offshore pens near Sado and the full ike-jime process after landing. The company plans to continue offering domestically farmed salmon, including ike-jime Sado Salmon. After Sado Salmon, regional salmon such as Iwate Otsuchi Salmon are scheduled to arrive in sequence. Kakujoe Gyorui aims to share the appeal and potential of domestically farmed salmon with more customers. All Kakujoe Gyorui stores also have “Shinsetsu-gakari” staff wearing yellow hats who guide customers on fish characteristics, recommended ways to eat them, and preparation options. The company says its goal is not to become Japan’s top fishmonger by sales or store count, but by product quality, store quality, employee quality, and management quality, ultimately becoming the fishmonger that best serves customers in Japan.