bonito

/bəˈniɾoʊ/

/bəˈnitəʊ/

Other forms: bonitos; bonitoes

A bonito is a medium-sized fish that's a close relation of the tuna. When smoked and fermented, bonito is used to flavor many Japanese soups.

Bonitos are in the same family as tuna and mackerel, and they're sometimes used as a less expensive substitute for skipjack tuna. In Japanese cuisine, the fish is commonly used in the form of "bonito flakes," or katsuobushi. These intensely flavorful dried flakes are added to dashi broth, which is the base of most miso soup. Bonito is a Spanish word that means "the good one."

Definitions of bonito

1. noun

   fish whose flesh is dried and flaked for Japanese cookery; may be same species as skipjack tuna
   synonyms: Katsuwonus pelamis, oceanic bonito

   type of:

   scombroid, scombroid fish

   important marine food and game fishes found in all tropical and temperate seas; some are at least partially endothermic and can thrive in colder waters
2. noun

   any of various scombroid fishes intermediate in size and characteristics between mackerels and tunas
   types:

   Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda, skipjack

   medium-sized tuna-like food fish of warm Atlantic and Pacific waters; less valued than tuna

   Chile bonito, Chilean bonito, Pacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis

   common bonito of Pacific coast of the Americas; its dark oily flesh cans well

   type of:

   scombroid, scombroid fish

   important marine food and game fishes found in all tropical and temperate seas; some are at least partially endothermic and can thrive in colder waters
3. noun

   flesh of mostly Pacific food fishes of the genus Sarda of the family Scombridae; related to but smaller than tuna
   type of:

   tuna, tuna fish, tunny

   important warm-water fatty fish of the genus Thunnus of the family Scombridae; usually served as steaks