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Ama Ebi (Sweet Shrimp) Sushi

Sweet Shrimp (Ama-ebi)

Shrimp & Mantis Shrimp

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甘エビ寿司

Order Decapoda, Family Pandalidae

Officially named hokkoku-aka-ebi (northern red shrimp), it inhabits the North Pacific and is a slender shrimp about 10 to 13 cm in body length. Its body color is a translucent, strongly reddish orange, and it is called "ama-ebi" (sweet shrimp) because of its rich, sticky sweetness.

Ama-ebi refers to the hokkoku-aka-ebi (Pandalus eous), which inhabits the deep sea floor at depths of 200 to 1,000 meters in the North Pacific. In Japan, it is caught in Hokkaido, Niigata, Ishikawa, and Hyogo Prefectures, among others. It is about 10 to 13 cm in body length, more slender and elongated than other Pandalus shrimp, and has a translucent, strongly reddish orange or pink color even when alive.

Because domestic hokkoku-aka-ebi is an expensive luxury ingredient, conveyor belt sushi restaurants primarily use the less expensive frozen hon-hokkoku-aka-ebi (Pandalus borealis) imported from Norway and Iceland. Additionally, the jinken-ebi caught around Numazu City in Shizuoka Prefecture is also locally called ama-ebi.

Hokkoku-aka-ebi earned the name "ama-ebi" (sweet shrimp) because of the sticky sweetness experienced when eating it raw. Interestingly, the sweetness actually becomes stronger after death as amino acids are generated over time, and a soft, melting texture develops.

Ways to Enjoy Ama-ebi

While ama-ebi is said to be delicious in miso soup as well, as a sushi topping it is typically served raw without cooking, to fully enjoy its melting sweetness. During spawning season, like botan-ebi and other Pleocyemata shrimp, egg-bearing individuals are caught, and these are sometimes shaped into nigiri together with their roe. Ama-ebi with the pop of roe adds a different dimension of enjoyment compared to nigiri without eggs.
Ama-ebi sushi made with hon-hokkoku-aka-ebi Ama-ebi sushi made with hon-hokkoku-aka-ebi

The Difference Between "Ebi" and "Ebi" (海老 vs. 蝦)

There are two kanji for shrimp in Japanese: "海老" and "蝦," which are used differently based on the shrimp's ecology. "海老" (literally "sea elder") refers to shrimp that crawl along the sea floor, such as spiny lobster and lobster. On the other hand, "蝦" was originally written as "鰕" (with the fish radical), which hints at its meaning - it is used for swimming-type shrimp. However, the distinction is not strictly maintained, and since "海老" is more widely known than "蝦," ama-ebi and botan-ebi, which technically should be written with "蝦," are more commonly written as "甘海老" and "牡丹海老" using the "海老" characters.

There are two kanji for shrimp in Japanese: "海老" and "蝦," which are used differently based on the shrimp's ecology. "海老" (literally "sea elder") refers to shrimp that crawl along the sea floor, such as spiny lobster and lobster. On the other hand, "蝦" was originally written as "鰕" (with the fish radical), which hints at its meaning - it is used for swimming-type shrimp. However, the distinction is not strictly maintained, and since "海老" is more widely known than "蝦," ama-ebi and botan-ebi, which technically should be written with "蝦," are more commonly written as "甘海老" and "牡丹海老" using the "海老" characters.

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