Types of Sushi Fish: A Guide to the Menu | Chef 21

October 16, 2026

The Fish on a Sushi Menu, Explained

A sushi menu lists Japanese fish names with no translation, and guessing is how people end up with something they did not want. This guide gives the English name, the flavor and the texture of each fish you are likely to see, so you can order with confidence. The reference table below covers the most common ones, and the sections after it explain each group.

Japanese Name	English	Group	Flavor and Texture	Raw
Maguro	Tuna, lean	Red flesh	Clean, firm, mildly iron-rich	Yes
Sake	Salmon	Red flesh	Soft, buttery, mild	Yes
Hamachi	Yellowtail	White flesh	Rich but clean finish	Yes
Hirame	Flounder or fluke	White flesh	Firm, light, very delicate	Yes
Madai	Sea bream	White flesh	Delicate and slightly sweet	Yes
Saba	Mackerel	Silver and oily	Assertive, vinegar-cured	Cured
Ebi	Shrimp	Shellfish	Sweet, firm, fully cooked	No
Amaebi	Sweet shrimp	Shellfish	Soft and noticeably sweet	Yes
Ikura	Salmon roe	Roe	Bursting, briny, rich	Yes
Tobiko	Flying fish roe	Roe	Small, crunchy, lightly sweet	Yes
Unagi	Freshwater eel	Cooked	Sweet, grilled, glazed	No

How Sushi Fish Is Grouped

The types of fish for sushi fall into five groups: red flesh fish, white flesh fish, silver and oily fish, shellfish and roe. The grouping predicts flavor. Red fish are rich, white fish are clean, silver fish are assertive, shellfish are sweet, and roe is briny and bursting.

Once you know the group, the different types of sushi fish on a menu become easy to predict, even when you have never seen the name. These are the types of fish used in sushi at most sushi counters, from a neighborhood restaurant to an omakase bar.

Tuna

Maguro is the lean red cut of tuna, clean and firm with a mild iron flavor. Toro is the fatty belly, soft and rich. The grades in between, chutoro (medium fatty) and otoro (the fattiest), change the price more than any other fish on the menu. Chef 21’s omakase-style nigiri list includes both. For the full breakdown, read our guide to types of tuna for sushi.

Types of Salmon for Sushi

Sake, the standard salmon cut

Soft, mild, buttery, and orange. Sake is the default entry point for anyone new to raw fish.

Salmon belly

Fattier and richer, closer to toro in texture than to standard salmon. The extra fat makes it softer and more flavorful.

Smoked and cured salmon

Smoking or curing changes both flavor and texture. The flesh turns firmer, saltier and more concentrated, which is why smoked salmon tastes nothing like the raw cut. Chef 21 lists smoked salmon nigiri alongside the raw salmon.

A note on farmed versus wild

Farmed and wild salmon differ in fat content, color and price, and wild salmon varies by species and season. If the source matters to you, ask your server what the restaurant is serving. Chef 21’s omakase-style list includes a King salmon nigiri.

Types of White Fish Sushi

Hirame (flounder or fluke)

Firm, clean, and very light. Often served with a squeeze of citrus rather than soy sauce.

Madai (sea bream)

Delicate and slightly sweet. It is often the fish served first in an omakase sequence.

Suzuki (sea bass)

Mild and firm, and a safe step up for someone easing into raw fish.

Hamachi (yellowtail)

Technically richer than the rest of this group, but listed alongside it on menus. Buttery, with a clean finish. Some restaurants also serve hamachi kama, the grilled collar, which is worth ordering if you see it. Chef 21 lists yellowtail among its nigiri and sashimi, and its omakase-style list includes shima aji (striped jack), another firm white fish.

Silver and Oily Fish

Saba (mackerel) is usually cured in vinegar and salt, assertive and bracing.
Aji (horse mackerel) is often served with ginger and scallion.
Iwashi (sardine) is soft and rich.

This group is the acquired taste on the sushi menu. If you are new to raw fish, start with salmon or white fish and come back to this group once you know what you like.

Types of Shrimp Sushi

Ebi (cooked shrimp)

Butterflied and poached, so it is fully cooked. Sweet and firm, and the go-to for anyone not eating raw fish.

Amaebi (sweet raw shrimp)

Raw, soft, and noticeably sweet, often served with the fried head on the side. Chef 21’s omakase-style list includes a truffle butter seared ama ebi nigiri, which sears the surface for a gentler first try.

Botan ebi

Larger, meatier raw shrimp. A step up in both texture and price.

Types of Fish Eggs for Sushi

Ikura (salmon roe)

Large, translucent orange pearls that burst when you bite them, briny and rich. Ikura is served in a gunkan wrap, a strip of nori wrapped around a ball of rice to hold the roe in place.

Tobiko (flying fish roe)

Small, crunchy, and lightly sweet. Tobiko is often colored with wasabi, yuzu or squid ink.

Masago (capelin roe)

Smaller and softer than tobiko, and frequently substituted for it because it costs less.

Uni is not roe

Uni is the gonad of a sea urchin, not eggs. Its place next to the roe on the menu misleads almost everyone. It tastes creamy, sweet and briny. Chef 21’s omakase-style list includes a Hokkaido scallop and uni nigiri.

Sushi Without Raw Fish

A full, satisfying sushi meal is possible with no raw fish at all. If you are looking for types of sushi without fish or types of sushi without raw fish, the options fall into two groups.

Cooked options: ebi (cooked shrimp), unagi (grilled freshwater eel), tamago (sweet egg omelet), crab and tempura rolls.
Vegetarian options: cucumber, avocado, pickled radish, inari (sweet fried tofu pouches) and, for the adventurous, natto (fermented soybeans).

Chef 21‘s classic rolls include a shrimp tempura roll, a California roll, an eel avocado roll, an avocado roll, a sweet potato roll and a vegetarian roll with daikon radish, cucumber, avocado and spring mix. If you want a fully cooked meal, our guide to what hibachi is covers another option on the menu.

What Sushi Grade Actually Means

Sushi grade is not a regulated legal term in the US. No government body awards the grade, and the phrase works as a trade label rather than a standard.

In practice, it signals a few things: how the fish was handled, whether freezing protocols were used, and how much the restaurant trusts its supplier. If you want to know more about a particular restaurant, ask where the fish comes from and how it is stored.

Order Sushi at Chef 21 in Greenville and Simpsonville, SC

Chef 21 serves sushi at two locations: the Downtown Greenville restaurant at 500 E McBee Ave #109, Greenville, SC 29601, and the Simpsonville restaurant at 699 Fairview Rd #C, Simpsonville, SC 29860. Browse the Greenville menu and the Simpsonville menu before you go.

A good starter order is four pieces of nigiri that cover mild, rich and cooked: salmon for something mild, yellowtail for something rich but clean, eel for something cooked and sweet, and shrimp for something cooked and firm. For something more adventurous, the Greenville omakase-style nigiri list includes chutoro, otoro and shima aji.

Reserve a table at Chef 21 Downtown Greenville or order Downtown Greenville sushi for pickup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular fish for sushi?

Salmon and tuna are typically the two most ordered fish at US sushi counters, with yellowtail and shrimp close behind.

What is the difference between tobiko and masago?

Tobiko is flying fish roe, with larger, crunchier eggs that are often colored with wasabi, yuzu or squid ink. Masago is capelin roe, which is smaller and softer, and it is often substituted for tobiko because it costs less.

Is hamachi a white fish?

Hamachi (yellowtail) is listed with the white fish on most sushi menus, although it is richer and more buttery than the others in that group.

Can you eat sushi without raw fish?

Yes. Cooked options include ebi, unagi, tamago, crab, and tempura rolls, and vegetarian options include cucumber, avocado, pickled radish, and inari.

What does sushi-grade fish mean?

Sushi-grade is an unregulated trade term in the US. It generally signals that the fish is meant to be eaten raw and was handled with that in mind, including freezing protocols and trusted suppliers.