Seafood ── Shellfish and cephalopods
Aori Ika
a large, translucent squid that ranks among the priciest
A large squid whose fin skirts the entire body. Its translucent flesh carries strong sweetness and a thick, dense texture, making it one of the pricier squid at market, best raw as sashimi or sushi, in season summer through autumn.
- Squid and octopus
Lineage
What it's made of
A large squid whose fin, called empera, skirts the entire body. Its translucent flesh carries strong sweetness and a thick, dense texture, making it one of the pricier squid at market. Skinned and cut into thin sashimi slices, its sweetness is said to seep out more with every bite, and its thick flesh is also said to grow more savory when aged a little, so both its fresh and rested flavors are worth trying.
How it's made
It lays its eggs in shallow, seaweed-covered reef, and fishers target individuals that move inshore to spawn from spring through summer, using line fishing or gillnets. Brought back to port alive, it is killed and its nerve removed at once — a step said to preserve the flesh's clarity and sweetness, and how carefully this is done is said to make a real difference in the sashimi's taste, a difference that shows up in the price as well.
Why it took this shape
Warm waters like those around the Goto Islands, shaped by the Tsushima Current, are said to offer the seaweed-covered reef and steady temperatures a spawning ground needs. It moves inshore to spawn in summer and grows large by autumn, so the squid caught can differ in size through the season.
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.
Dishes in the same style
- Hotaru IkaA small squid about 5cm long with light-producing organs. Its rise to shallow water to spawn each spring is a well-known seasonal sight. Eaten whole, guts included, boiled and dressed in vinegar-miso for a rich, faintly bitter taste.
- IidakoA small octopus about 20cm long. In females during spawning season, the body fills with roe whose grains are said to resemble cooked rice — the source of its name. Simmered, the flesh turns tender with a popping roe texture, in season through winter.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known source
- Known source: Nagasaki, Goto
The warm waters shaped by the Tsushima Current are a notable fishing ground.