Tag Archives: 桜海老

Japanese Crustacean Species 7: Sakura Shrimp-Sakura Ebi-桜海老

My favorite, sakura ebi sashimi served with grated ginger!

SWakura Ebi Portal in Yui!

“Sakura Ebi” or Sakura shrimp/桜海老 is a vey small (maximum 5 cm) crustacean mostly caught in the Suruga Bay off the shores of Shizuoka Prefecture. Most of ships are anchored in Yui, formerly a city recently merged to Shizuoka City in Shimizu Ku, and also Oigawa Harbor in Yaizu City.

Sakura ebi ships leaving Yui before dusk!

The modern technique is to catch them in a net between two ships and next to syphon them out of the net for a neat separation from other seafood.
The shrimps are displayed in special net baskets according to long traditions before they are put on the market immediately for auction.
Many fishermen open their own sushi restaurants, bars and often serve their catches of the night until early in the afternoon before taking a well-earned sleep.

For people who prefer them as sushi, the gunkan style is the most appreciated!

Most French and Italian Restaurants in Shizuoka City and around will serve them in quiches!

Another popular way to eat them is of course as a tempura called kaki-age, either with fresh sakura ebi in season or dried ones.

The same in my bento!

Fishermen use to dry their catch for sale and export until the government had the great idea to run an expressway just along the harbour!

The shrimps are now dried along nearby Fujikawa River, creating large quaint rose expanses in the most useen for locations!

Next time you visit Shizuoka don’t forget to buy sakura ebi senbei as a souvenir!

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Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
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Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Sakura Ebi/Cherry Shrimps: Catching Season Opened in Yui!

The Sakura Ebi Gate just outside Yui JR Station!

The sakura ebi/cherry shrimps catching season was finally opened on April 6th with some delay!

Sakura ebi and Shirasu Shop

Son Thursday April 7th I went to Yui to see the fishermen leave on their second day of fishing.
I came a bit too early (14:00) but nonetheless took my time and observe things at ease.
Once you get off at Yui JR Station, get out and turn left. You will see the Sakura Ebi Gate opening the way to the harbor and the Eastern part of the Village.

The street is actually called Yui Sakura Ebi Street/由比桜えび通り!

The entrance to the harbor is almost concealed. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Not easy to notice as the entrance is under the railway track!

Mind you head!

What’s that map under the sign saying to look out for earthquakes and tsunamis?

Four destinations. The ships will run there in shifts and teams. Each group is assigned 8 bags of ice.

All ships leaving port at 5:30 p.m. sharp.
They will be catching sakura ebi between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. before being back at around 10:00 a.m.

Ships still at anchor and nobody to be seen around…

This gave me chance to have a closer look!

The ship’s name means “Great Luck”!

Yui is not all about sakura ebi.
Having plenty of time on hand I took a stroll through the Village.
A beautiful little Japanese cake shop!

But we know what that shop sells!

They also catch all kinds of fish in the Suruga Bay. A lot are dried to become succulent himono/干物!

Yui is also famous for its citruses.
Organic oranges!

Most of those vegetables are locally grown!

When I came back around 4:00 p.m. the fishermen started arriving.

Boarding the ships.

One shipman on each boat will sprinkle different part with salt and Japanese sake every day for good luck!

This is all team work and the fishermen enjoy sharing a word before leaving. The only time of the day they can really socialize!

Official visit from the city hall. The fishermen are not really bothered…

I knew you were going to ask: these are the toilets!

All ships are powered by Yanmar Diesel engines.

This is night only fishing when the sakura ebi come up from the deep. Plenty of lights needed!

Antennae and flashing lights for mutual recognition.

Very powerful lights!

The next morning each catch will be weighed on named scales.

The actual sales will take place there.
I’m planning to witness those soon!

The crews (6 to each ship) are slowly getting ready.

The grilles protecting the propellers are hoisted up.

Each ship is equipped with a stove and chimney to heat water for hot drinks on cold and long nights!

Starting putting on protective gear.

The pilots are all the veterans of each team. These two are 75 years old!

Big wheels for such fine nets!

Not all ships are equipped with nets. Instead they have syphons for an easy and careful haul of the shrimps. Don’t forget all is done in teams!

Almost 5:30 p.m.!

Here they go!

Good luck guys, and great catch to you all!

Next, I will pay them a visit in the morning!

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Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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Sushi: Shizuoka Marine Products from the Ocean to the Gastronomic table: Ginta!

Suruga Bay Sushi Nigiri Tray!

Caring about local food does not concern only vegetables, fruits and meat from a certain region, but alそ its marine products!
In the case of Shizuoka Prefecture it can safely be assumed this represents half of its total food production!

Ginta

Mr. Hara, owner and chef of this minuscule sushi restaurant in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, has established a name as a reference products when it comes to sushi. Although he also serves marine products from other areas of Japan, it is eminently possible to devise and order solely from the Suruga Bay!

Just in case you did not know, Mr. Hara makes sure that his customers understand this the land (and sea) of Sakura shrimps!

So when we visited the restaurant last week, the Missus and I, we decided to order only locally.
The above snacks coming with Eikun sake from Yui are namako/sea slug/海鼠 lightly boiled and pickled and ika shiokara/pickled cuttle-fish/烏賊塩辛.

Top: Hirame Konbujime/sole marinated in seaweed/平目昆布〆, Tachiuo Ponzu Momijioroshi/Sacbbard Fish seasoned with ponzu and grated daikon with chili pepper/太刀魚ポン酢もみじおろし, Fugu Ponzu Negi Momijioroshi/Globefish with Ponzu, leeks and grated daikon with chili pepper/ふぐポン酢ねぎもみじおし, Kawahagi Kimo Ae/Filefish with its liver/かわはぎ肝和え

Bottom: Kanpachi/Greater Yellowtail-Amberjack/かんぱち, Aji/Horse mackerel/鯵, Ishidai/Barred Knifejaw/石鯛, Sakura ebi/Sakura-Cherry shrimps/桜えび

We both ordered the above Suruga Nigiri Tray composed of 8 different fish and shrimp all from the Suruga Bay on the other side of the quay!
For 1,800 yen/20 US $, a real bargain (considering you will not find it in Tokyo!)!

You can see and check the seasonal tray on small cards on the wall!

We couldn’t resist from ordering the sakura ebi kakiage/sakura shrimps tenpura/桜海老掻き揚げ, the representative dish of the local seafood!
One dish is enough for two, I can guarantee you!

And of course a bowl of sakura ebi shiru/sakura shrimps soup/桜海老汁!

You can be sure that the next visit will come soon!

GINTA
421-3111 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Yui, Konjuku, 165 (5 minutes walk from Yui JR Station)
Tel.: 0543-75-3004
Business hours: 11:00~23:00
Closed on Tuesdays

GINTA
421-3111 Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku, Yui, Konjuku, 165 (5 minutes walk from Yui JR Station)
Tel.: 0543-75-3004
Business hours: 11:00~23:00
Closed on Tuesdays

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

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Sakura Ebi: Autumn Catch


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sakura-ebi-08-11
(Shizuoka Shinbun)

November 5th saw the first haul of Sakura ebi/Cherry blossom Shrimp of the Autumn being auctioned at Yui Harbour and Oikawa Fish Market.
12 tonnes were sold, that is about three times as much as last year.
Stocks have been plentiful thanks to very strict enforcement of catch limits self-imposed by the Sakura Ebi Fishermen Association, the first-ever such association in the whole of Japan to impose such voluntary limits of their catches!
Sakura Ebi are exclusively caught in the middle of Suruga Bay.
They are sucked into the boats directly from the nets, ensuring a later release of all unwanted catch live and unharmed into the sea.
Who said the Japanese were depopulating the sea?

Sakuraebi Spring Fishing Season started!


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(Courtesy of Shizuoka Shinbun, April 3rd, 2008)

The Sakuraebi/Sakura Shrimp Spring Fishing Season was officially started two days late because of inclement weather but the first batches were auctioned in the early hours of April 2nd in Yui, the only harbour having the license to do so.
The catch has been good as three times as much as usual was sold, that is a total of 67 tonnes.
Their price went on the average 40,000 yen per case (about 15 kg).
Don’t forget you can sample them directly at Yui Harbour’s food stands!

Sakura Ebi Season!

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yui-sakura-kakiage.jpg

I visited Yui Harbour after interviewing Kansawagawa/Shosetsu Brewery to stop at a booth selling cooked sakura ebi/sakura shrimp just caught in the morning.
yui-harbour.jpg
Sakura Shrimps are caught twice a year and this just happens to be the Autumn catch Season.
If you have the time, go or stop there around lunch, go to the harbour (10 minutes walk from Yui JR Station, buy and eat “sakura ebi kakiage” (a kind of sakura shrimp tenpura/200 yen) with a bowl of “kisetsu miso shiru” (seasonal miso soup/100 yen).
If you are hungry ask for the sakura ebi don (a large bowl of rice topped with a generous portion of sakura ebi kakiage/600 yen).
Do not forget this is the only place in Japan you can eat them that fresh from the ocean!