For years, “eating with the seasons” has mostly meant shopping for local produce – summer tomatoes, winter citrus, and everything in between. But chefs around the world are now reminding diners that seasonality applies to seafood, too. Just like fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish have natural cycles that shape their flavor, fat content, and availability.
At New York’s Sushi Ouji, chef Ben Chen designs his menu around those cycles. “In colder months, you’ll find richer, fattier fish like buri (winter yellowtail) or ankimo (monkfish liver),” Chen explains. “In spring and summer, we focus on lighter species such as sayori (halfbeak), hamo (pike conger), tachiuo (beltfish), or shellfish that peak in warmer waters.”
Across the globe in Cape Town, South Africa, chef Peter Tempelhoff of Fyn faces a different set of seasonal challenges. “Game fish arrive in summer when the seas are calmer and easier to fish,” he says. “In winter, we switch to reef fish found closer to shore. The conditions here are rough, but they keep us closely connected to the environment.”
Even individual species can change throughout the year. At Hirohisa and Sushi Ikumi in New York, chef Hirohisa Hayashi notes that conger eel, for example, is light and delicate in spring but fattier and richer by winter. “Yellowtail also evolves through the seasons – it’s inada in early summer, warasa as it grows, and buri in winter when it’s at its most flavorful.”
Warming Waters, Changing Seasons
As climate change reshapes ecosystems on land and sea, traditional fishing seasons are shifting. “Pacific saury, typically a symbol of autumn in Japan, started showing up in August this year,” says Mitsunobu Nagae of l’abeille. Rising ocean temperatures and changing plankton blooms are driving that change.
The same trend is affecting sourcing across North America. “Lobsters have been migrating north toward colder waters,” says Joe Anthony of Arvine. “At this point, Canadian lobster can be more consistent than the iconic Maine catch.”
Pairing Fish and Seasonal Produce
Japanese cuisine has long celebrated the connection between seafood and seasonal produce. One classic example, buri daikon – fatty winter yellowtail simmered with daikon radish – highlights how both ingredients enhance each other’s flavor. “The daikon absorbs the richness of the fish while balancing its aroma,” Hayashi explains.
As fish grow fattier in winter, chefs often pair them with heartier ingredients, while lighter summer fish get matched with delicate vegetables and herbs. The result: menus that mirror the rhythm of the ocean and land alike.
Flavor Meets Sustainability
Seasonal eating isn’t just about taste – it’s also a sustainability issue. “Eating what’s at its peak supports more responsible fishing practices,” says Chen. “It’s about celebrating the moment and respecting nature’s timing.”
Tempelhoff adds that abundance doesn’t always equal opportunity. “Sometimes when a species is plentiful, that’s actually its breeding season,” he warns. “Harvesting then can disrupt future populations. True seasonality requires understanding life cycles, not just supply.”
As global seafood supply chains adapt to shifting oceans, chefs and consumers alike are rediscovering an old truth: the best fish – for flavor and for the planet – is the one that’s in season.