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Kuruma Ebi (Tiger Prawn) Sushi

Japanese Tiger Prawn (Kuruma-ebi)

Shrimp & Mantis Shrimp

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Order Decapoda, Family Penaeidae

A large prawn measuring 15 to 30 cm, inhabiting the sandy-muddy bottoms of inner bays along the Indo-Pacific coast. It hides in the sand and mud during the day and becomes active on the sea floor at night. In Japan, it is called kuruma-ebi (wheel prawn) because the pattern on its curled body resembles a wheel.

Kuruma-ebi is a large edible prawn that can grow up to 30 cm. In Japan, it inhabits inner bays from Hokkaido southward, but wild stocks have drastically declined due to development and pollution, and farmed specimens are now the mainstream. It has been a premium ingredient since ancient times, and even now with farming as the primary source, it remains expensive due to high farming costs.

The peak season for wild kuruma-ebi is early summer to summer, while farmed ones peak in winter. In addition to farmed stock, frozen and live imports come from China, Taiwan, Australia, and elsewhere, making it available year-round. Strictly speaking, true kuruma-ebi refers to Marsupenaeus japonicus of the family Penaeidae, but the boiled shrimp at conveyor belt sushi is often black tiger shrimp (a large, dark-colored prawn that closely resembles kuruma-ebi) or vannamei shrimp imported from Southeast Asia and other regions.

The Star of Edomae Sushi: Beautiful and Delicious

With its beautiful form and superb flavor, kuruma-ebi has long been used as a sushi topping and tempura ingredient, and as a starring topping of Edomae sushi, it frequently appears in ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

While it can be served live (raw) as nigiri, Edomae sushi is built on the principle of applying careful preparation, and since kuruma-ebi develops more umami and texture when cooked, boiling is the standard method for sushi, with freshly boiled specimens considered the most delicious.

Among all shrimp sushi, kuruma-ebi sushi is particularly premium, with single pieces commonly exceeding 1,000 yen. It contains more sweetness-producing compounds than other shrimp, giving it a stronger flavor once it enters the mouth. The springy snap when you bite into it and the sweetness that builds with each chew are hallmarks of the kuruma-ebi experience.
Shimazoroi Onna Benkei: Matsu no Sushi (woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1844) Shimazoroi Onna Benkei: Matsu no Sushi (woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1844)

What Types of Shrimp Are Used at Sushi Restaurants?

There are nearly 3,000 species of shrimp, broadly divided into suborder Dendrobranchiata and suborder Pleocyemata. The Penaeidae family of Dendrobranchiata, including kuruma-ebi, is commonly used boiled, while species in the Pandalidae family of Pleocyemata, such as botan-ebi and ama-ebi, are mostly eaten raw. At conveyor belt sushi restaurants, black tiger shrimp and whiteleg shrimp (vannamei) are commonly used due to their lower cost, and what is labeled as "mushi-ebi" (steamed shrimp) or "nama-ebi" (raw shrimp) is often vannamei. Before labeling regulations were tightened, Argentine red shrimp from a different genus was sometimes sold as botan-ebi (now labeled as "aka-ebi"). In the Kanto region, where Edomae sushi's tradition of applying extra preparation is central, boiled shrimp is the standard for ebi sushi, while in regions like Hokkaido where fresh, raw-quality shrimp is readily available, ebi sushi typically means raw shrimp. Small shira-ebi (white shrimp) and sakura-ebi (cherry shrimp) can also be found as gunkan-style sushi at restaurants.

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