Seafood
Shellfish and cephalopods
貝・甲殻類・イカタコ
35 varieties
Shellfish, crustaceans, and cephalopods are sometimes grouped by shell or limb shape into shellfish, shrimp and crab, and squid and octopus. Shellfish are often discussed in connection with the water quality and season of where they're gathered; shrimp and crab for the way eating them involves cracking open shell; and squid and octopus for how their texture shifts with freshness. Some species resist easy grouping, and how they're classified can shift depending on perspective.
Shellfish12
- Akagai赤貝a blood-red bivalve prized in Edo-style sushi
- Asariアサリthe everyday clam of miso soup and sand-digging outings
- Awabiアワビa single-shelled sea snail prized for its firm, briny bite
- Bakagaiバカガイa clam better known by its polite market name, aoyagi
- Hamaguriハマグリa clam whose two shells fit no other pair, hence its wedding role
- Hokkigaiホッキ貝a cold-water clam whose orange foot turns a dish crimson
- Hotateホタテthe scallop whose one strong muscle powers it across the seabed
- Mirugaiミル貝a giant clam whose long siphon is the part actually eaten
- Sazaeサザエa spiny turban shell that snaps its trapdoor shut when threatened
- Shijimiシジミa tiny clam that thrives where river meets sea
- Torigaiトリガイa black-footed clam named for its bird-beak-shaped foot
- Tsubugaiツブ貝a catch-all name for several whelks with a slow, chewy bite
Shrimp and crab11
- Amaebi甘海老a cold-water shrimp sweet enough to eat raw
- Botan Ebiボタン海老a large pink prawn named for its peony-like spots
- Hanasakigani花咲ガニa crab that turns flower-red only when boiled
- Ise Ebi伊勢海老the long-whiskered lobster of celebration tables
- Kegani毛ガニthe short-legged crab whose shell bristles hint at rich innards
- Kuruma Ebi車海老the striped prawn whose curled body suggests a cartwheel
- Sakura Ebi桜海老a shrimp whose commercial catch is licensed in only one bay
- Shakoシャコa flat-bodied crustacean known for its punch-like strike
- Tarabaganiタラバガニthe king crab that is technically a hermit crab relative
- Watariganiワタリガニthe swimming crab with paddle-shaped hind legs
- Zuwaiganiズワイガニthe winter crab whose regional names double as brand tags
Squid and octopus8
- Aori Ikaアオリイカa large, translucent squid that ranks among the priciest
- Hotaru Ikaホタルイカa squid whose light organs turn the shoreline blue at night
- Iidakoイイダコa small octopus whose egg-filled body suggests cooked rice
- Madakoマダコan octopus whose legs toughen against the strongest currents
- Mizudakoミズダコthe world's largest octopus species, caught in cold northern waters
- Sumi Ikaコウイカa squid with an internal chalky shell in place of cartilage
- Surume IkaスルメイカJapan's most-landed squid, named for how it dries
- Yari Ikaヤリイカa slender squid shaped like the spear it is named for
Other styles4
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Before you go
- How to shop at a supermarketHow to choose prepared foods, sashimi, and packaged sushi, when discount stickers tend to appear, region-only specialties, buying by weight, the checkout and bagging flow, and sampling etiquette at a local supermarket.
- Roadside stations, direct-sale stands, and marketsHow to enjoy buying food near where it's produced, visiting and shopping at morning markets and fish markets, what to expect at farm stands, and finding local food at roadside stations (michi-no-eki).
- Foods to look for in winterA guide to foods often seen in Japan around winter — nabe hot pot, fugu, oysters, crab, year-end soba, and osechi — with rough pointers for finding them.