Red seabream Facts for Kids

For other fish with this name, see Red seabream.

Quick facts for kids Red seabream

Scientific classification
Synonyms
Chrysophrys major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) Pagrosomus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) Sparus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) Pagus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)

Pagrus major or red seabream is a fish species in the family Sparidae. It is also known by its Japanese name, madai. The fish has high culinary and cultural importance in Japan, and is also frequently eaten in Korea and Taiwan.

Range and habitat
Physical description
Life cycle
As food
In culture
In art
See also

Range and habitat

Red seabream (madai) being sold at a market in Ueno, Japan

Red seabream is a marine subtropical oceanodromous demersal fish, found in the Northwest Pacific from the northeastern part of the South China Sea (Philippines excluded) northward to Japan. Adult fish live near the bottom of reefs at 30–200 meters deep, and are often solitary. Juveniles live in shallower waters.

Physical description

Large specimens of red seabream can grow up to 120 centimeters long, although they are usually smaller. The scales range from pinkish red to purplish brown, with blue spots across the body. Juveniles have five stripes that disappear upon maturity.

Life cycle

Red seabream spawns between February and August, when they swim from deeper waters to shallower areas. Eggs and juveniles float freely in the ocean, and are not protected by parents, which makes them easy prey for larger fish. Habitat preference is genetically coded in juveniles, which helps them to choose the optimal microhabitat in a fluctuating environment. Habitat preference is only observed in juvenile fish up to the age of 30 days, while adult fish do not show any habitat preference. Both adults and juveniles feed on small crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs, as well as smaller fish and sea urchins.

The fish's average life span is between 20 and 40 years.

As food

In Japan, Pagrus major is known as madai (真鯛 "true sea bream") or simply tai (鯛 "sea bream"). It is prized for its umami flavor and considered a luxury food, often served at festive events such as weddings, and during Japanese New Year. It is also the most commonly eaten fish in Taiwan. In Korea, the fish is called domi (도미) or chamdom (참돔), and is moderately popular as food.

Red seabream can be broiled, grilled, baked or eaten raw, such as in sashimi.

Red seabream prepared for New Year's Day
Red seabream baked in a shell of salt
Red seabream sashimi
Sashimi
Fried red seabream
Suimono (clear soup) with red seabream
Red seabream sushi
Korean domi-gui before baking

In culture

The god Ebisu with a red seabream, from Fish stories alleged and experienced (1909) by C. H. Holder

Pagrus major is important in Japanese culture, where it is associated with good fortune and abundance, and eaten on special occasions. The red scales are considered auspicious, and traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits. Public figures such as politicians or sumo wrestlers are often photographed holding up a red seabream after a victorious event. Ebisu, the god of fortune and fishermen, is often portrayed holding a red seabream.

Due to its prestige, red seabream is sometimes called "The King of Hundred Fishes" (百魚の王) in Japan, where "hundred" is a metaphor for all other fishes.

Several Japanese idioms also reference the red seabream as a precious object:

Ebi de tai o tsuru (海老で鯛を釣る "To fish a sea bream using a shrimp as bait"): To gain a great profit or achievement with minimal investment.
Kusatte mo tai (腐っても鯛 "Even if it's rotten, it's still sea bream"): Something of high quality still retains its value even if it becomes degraded.
Tai no o yori iwashi no atama (鯛の尾より鰯の頭 "Better a sardine's head than a sea bream's tail"): It's better to be the leader of a small group rather than a follower of a large group.

The tai no tai (鯛の鯛 "bream within bream") is a good luck charm consisting of a fish's scapula and coracoid bones, which resemble a red seabream. The bones are interpreted as a "second bream" inside the original bream, which is discovered and collected after the fish's meat is consumed. Tai no tai are traditionally associated with red seabreams, but can come from the bones of any fish.

Taiyaki, a cake filled with azuki bean paste, is famously made in the shape of a red seabream (tai), which its inventor intended as a way to make street food feel luxurious.

Red seabream as an auspicious object, with straw bindings and coins at Osaka Tenmangū shrine
Tambo art depicting a red seabream in a rice paddy in Fukuoka
Taiyaki cakes being made in the shape of red seabream (tai)
A tai no tai, the bones of a red seabream that resembles a second fish inside the original fish, used as a good luck charm