【Reading】なんばんShrimp

【English Name】Alaskan Pink Shrimp

Nanban-ebi is one of the alternative names given to the northern shrimp (hokkoku-akaebi; scientific name Pandalus eous). It is a name long used around Niigata City, said to derive from its appearance, in which the vivid red body color evokes red pepper (nanban). On the nationwide market it is widely known under the name "amaebi" (sweet shrimp).

A member of the family Pandalidae, the adult is about 12 cm long. A gradient body color ranging from pink to red-orange, and a relatively soft shell, are its external features. Its distribution extends on the Sea of Japan side north of Shimane Prefecture and on the Pacific side north of the waters off Miyagi Prefecture, reaching widely into the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the west coast of Canada. It lives in the deep sea over sandy-muddy bottoms at 200–600 m, in cold waters with a suitable temperature of around 0–8°C.

A major ecological feature is the sex change known as protandry. Maturing first as males, they transition to females over 4 to 6 years, with a lifespan estimated at about 11 years.

As a nigiri sushi topping, the orthodox way is to use it raw; the sweetness that spreads in the mouth comes from amino acids such as glycine and alanine. The sweetness increases somewhat when a little time is allowed to pass after landing, because post-mortem autolysis converts proteins into amino acids. While large females are prized as sashimi and sushi toppings, small males are customarily diverted to ingredients for processed foods such as senbei (rice crackers).