Shima-aji is a warm water fish, with fine examples coming from the Izu Islands (southeast of central Honshu), all the way down to Okinawa. It signifies summertime, with its shun period from June to August. The fish fetches high prices at the market, and it is sadly becoming quite rare to find wild-caught specimens.

It resembles aji in both appearance and taste, although shima-aji's flesh is white (while aji is considered hikarimono) and is milder in flavor. When aged for a few days, the firm, fatty flesh develops an even better flavor profile that is just delightful, especially when paired with good sushi-meshi.
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