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Hotategai (Scallop) Sushi

Hotategai / Scallop

Shellfish
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ScallopSushi

Pectinida, Pectinidae

A large cold-water bivalve that lives in abundance on the shallow sandy bottoms of the seas north of Tohoku and the Sea of Okhotsk. It lives without burrowing into the sand, and by rapidly opening and closing its shell it can swim through the water on the momentum of the jetted water. It is low in calories yet rich in nutrients and savory flavor.

The scallop is a fan-shaped bivalve that lives mainly on the sandy bottoms at 10 to 30 meters in the cold seas north of Tohoku. Its two shells differ in color and shape, and the mid-Edo period encyclopedia "Wakan Sansai Zue" explains that it came to be called "hotate-hamaguri" (sail-raising clam) because one of its shells is like a boat and the other like a sail. It is often simply called hotate, and is sometimes also called kaibashira (adductor muscle). Purely wild ones are extremely few. In the past it was expensive, but at present, because aquaculture and the release of juvenile shellfish are flourishing, it can be obtained relatively cheaply. Wild ones (released juveniles are also treated as wild) come 80% from Hokkaido, while cultured ones are largely from Aomori and other parts of Tohoku. The season is said to be around February to April, slightly before spring, when the flesh is at its largest before spawning, and around May to July, when the sweetness component of the adductor muscle peaks after spawning. The scallop is low in fat and low in calories, yet rich in savory components such as amino acids, glutamic acid, and taurine, as well as nutrients such as vitamin B1, zinc, and iron. Recently it was even discovered that the glycogen contained in scallops has a cancer-suppressing effect, making it something of a superfood of the sea.

A Favorite Enjoyed from Conveyor-Belt Sushi to High-End Sushi

The adductor muscle part often used in scallop sushi is thick and soft, with strong sweetness and a sticky-rich texture. Fresh ones shortly after being removed from the shell are especially sweet. Heating also brings out more sweetness and flavor, so seared scallop sushi is popular, and eating it with salt can further enhance the sweetness. Because it is delicious despite its relatively low price, it is a popular topping supported across a wide range, from high-end sushi to conveyor-belt sushi.
Seared scallop sushi Seared scallop sushi

A Pearl in a Scallop!?

Speaking of pearls, they are gems made inside famous shellfish, with the Akoya oyster being well known, but in fact any organism capable of making a shell can make a pearl, and the scallop can also make a pearl called a "scallop pearl." The small scallop pearls found by chance seem to have little value, but large ones of high quality fetch high prices.
Amazingly, there are even cases of one being found in a convenience store's "grilled scallop mantle"! If a pearl came out of a scallop you casually ate, you would surely feel very lucky.

Speaking of pearls, they are gems made inside famous shellfish, with the Akoya oyster being well known, but in fact any organism capable of making a shell can make a pearl, and the scallop can also make a pearl called a "scallop pearl." The small scallop pearls found by chance seem to have little value, but large ones of high quality fetch high prices.
Amazingly, there are even cases of one being found in a convenience store's "grilled scallop mantle"! If a pearl came out of a scallop you casually ate, you would surely feel very lucky.

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