Cut vs cut
Kampachi vs Hamachi
The short answer
Fat. Kampachi is the leaner, firmer amberjack, with a cleaner finish; hamachi, Japanese yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata), is soft, buttery and rich, especially farmed. In Japan kanpachi means the greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili. Most kampachi sold in the US is a third species, almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana.
Kampachi
In Japan, kanpachi is the greater amberjack. The kampachi on most US menus is almaco jack, a related amberjack raised in offshore pens and sold sashimi-grade. Either way it is leaner and firmer than hamachi, faintly rosy when raw, and firm enough to slice thin without tearing or to take a hard sear without going soft.
Hamachi
Japanese yellowtail, and a fish whose name changes as it grows: a younger fish is hamachi, a full-grown one is buri. In everyday Japanese use, hamachi usually means the farmed fish and buri the wild one. Farmed hamachi gets little exercise, so its flesh is pale, soft and fatty, which is what sushi bars buy it for. Wild buri is fattiest in winter.
Side by side
| Kampachi | Hamachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Seriola dumerili in Japan; usually Seriola rivoliana (almaco jack) in the US | Seriola quinqueradiata, Japanese amberjack |
| Also called | Kanpachi, greater amberjack, almaco jack | Yellowtail; buri when full-grown |
| Fat | Moderate | Rich, most of all in farmed and winter fish |
| Texture | Firm, slices thin without tearing | Soft and buttery |
| Flavor | Clean and mildly sweet | Rich and mild |
| Raw flesh | Pale with a rose cast | Pale, lighter in farmed fish |
| Best use | Crudo, sashimi, seared rare | Sashimi, nigiri, grilled collar (kama) |
The verdict
Which one to buy
Kampachi when you want a firmer, cleaner slice for crudo, or a loin you can sear rare and cut like a steak. Hamachi when you want richness: a slice that melts, or a collar to salt and grill. We don't stock either fish right now. For raw fish at home, we sell sashimi sets built around Ōra King salmon and bluefin tuna.
Sushi menus print hamachi, kampachi and yellowtail as if they were one fish. They are at least three.
Three amberjacks, two names
All of them belong to Seriola, the amberjacks. Hamachi is S. quinqueradiata, the Japanese amberjack. Japan names it by size: a younger fish is hamachi and a full-grown one is buri. Kanpachi, in Japan, is the greater amberjack, S. dumerili. The kampachi sold in the US is usually a third species, the almaco jack, S. rivoliana, farmed in offshore pens.
"Yellowtail" on a US menu can mean hamachi, kampachi or California yellowtail. Ask which one.
Why one is richer
Farmed hamachi barely has to swim, so it lays down fat and its flesh turns soft and pale. Kampachi carries less, which is why it slices crisp and tastes cleaner. You choose between richness and structure.
Cooking either one
Both are at their best raw or barely cooked. Cooked through, the oil renders out and the flesh turns firm and plain. Sear a kampachi loin hard and fast the way you would tuna, and leave the middle raw. The collar, kama in Japanese, is the cut of either fish most worth cooking: salt it and grill or broil it skin-side to the heat.
Common questions
Is kampachi the same as hamachi?
No. Both are amberjacks in the genus Seriola, but they are different species. Hamachi is Japanese yellowtail. Kampachi is the greater amberjack in Japan and, in most US restaurants, the almaco jack.
Is kanpachi the same as kampachi?
Yes. They are two spellings of the same Japanese name. Romanized Japanese writes the n before a p either way.
Is amberjack the same as hamachi?
Hamachi is one amberjack, the Japanese one. On its own, "amberjack" usually means the greater amberjack, the fish Japan calls kanpachi. If a menu just says amberjack, ask which species.
What is the difference between hamachi and buri?
Size, and usually origin. Both are Seriola quinqueradiata. Hamachi is the younger fish and, in common use, the farmed one. Buri is the full-grown fish, usually wild, and fattiest in winter.
Shop
Kampachi
In Japan, kanpachi is the greater amberjack. The kampachi on most US menus is almaco ja...
Shop
Hamachi
Japanese yellowtail, and a fish whose name changes as it grows: a younger fish is hamac...
Not sure yet
Browse the whole shop
Everything we carry, from independent farms, shipped frozen.