Seafood ── Shellfish and cephalopods
Madako
an octopus whose legs toughen against the strongest currents
The most commonly eaten octopus in Japan. Raised against strong currents, its legs are said to firm up thick and taut, boiled into a springy, deeply savory bite. Used everywhere from vinegared dishes to takoyaki filling.
- Squid and octopus
Lineage
What it's made of
The most widely eaten octopus in Japan. Raised against fast currents like those in the Akashi Strait, it is said to grow legs thick and short enough to plant itself and stand upright on land. Boiled, it turns springy and deeply savory, used everywhere from vinegared dishes to simmered octopus and takoyaki filling. Because the flesh firms up so much with heat, how long it's cooked makes a real difference to the bite.
How it's made
Bottom trawling reportedly lands the most, but traditional pot fishing, sinking jars for the octopus to move into, and hook-and-line fishing are also used. Around Akashi, strings of pots can reportedly stretch from 100 meters to 2.3 kilometers, with the biggest landings from late June through mid-August, when rising water temperatures make the octopus more active. Brought back alive and killed just before cooking, it keeps that firmness through to the plate.
Why it took this shape
Raised against fast currents like the Akashi Strait's, the octopus is said to bulk up its legs thick and short just from bracing against the flow, with abundant crab and shrimp prey concentrating the flavor further. The summer rise in water temperature that spurs heavier feeding and taurine accumulation is also thought to be part of why the meat fills out best in season, so the strait's tight geography itself is credited with shaping this octopus's character.
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
- Aori IkaA 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.
- 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.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known for it here
- Known for it here: Hyogo, Akashi
The fast currents of the Akashi Strait are rich in crab and shrimp prey; bracing against the flow is said to give the octopus thick, short, firm legs.
Contrast
- MizudakoReckoned the world's largest octopus species, living in cold northern waters. Its large, water-rich flesh is softer than madako's, turning mild and sweet when briefly blanched for sashimi, in season through winter.
- 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.