Morotoge shrimp nigiri

Morotoge shrimp (Shima ebi)

【Nigiri sushi: Ebi/Kani】
What is Shimaebi?
Shima ebi is found from Hokkaido to Fukui prefecture on the Sea of Japan side of Japan, as well as along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula and Sakhalin. They are especially numerous at depths of 1 to 6 meters in places with high concentrations of Zostera marina.

What does Shimaebi (Morotoge shrimp) nigiri sushi taste like?
Morotoge shrimp (shima ebi) are sometimes caught alongside sweet shrimp (ama ebi) and botan shrimp (botan ebi), but because catches are limited, they are often treated as a premium sushi ingredient. They are shrimp with an exquisite balance of refined sweetness and aroma, and feature elements that convey a sense of luxury, such as the distinct striped pattern revealed when peeled, their vivid wine-red tails, and their yellowish-brown roe.

In the 1950s and 1960s, sweet shrimp were primarily used in cooked dishes, and eating them raw was not common. Similarly, striped shrimp, which were often caught as bycatch, were not fully appreciated at the time and were sometimes treated as an underutilized resource. Back then, the general perception was that small shrimp were meant to be eaten cooked; however, with advancements in distribution and preservation techniques, the appeal of eating them raw became widely recognized, and their reputation changed significantly.

Although they are sometimes distributed live, shrimp with a slightly milky-white hue are said to have more umami than freshly caught specimens with a high degree of transparency. Compared to sweet shrimp, their flesh is firmer, characterized by a moderate chewiness and excellent compatibility with vinegared rice. They also leave a pleasant aftertaste, which is one of the reasons they are so popular. Furthermore, under the right conditions, they are relatively resilient to environmental changes during transport and sometimes arrive at the market still alive.

Incidentally, morotoge shrimp (Shima ebi) is a different species from Hokkai shrimp (Hokkai shima ebi), which is widely fished in the brackish waters of the eastern Hokkaido Sea of Okhotsk.

Scientific name: Pandalopsis japonica Balss,1914

【Temperature of vinegared rice (shari) and sushi toppings】
36～38℃/20～22℃

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There are strangely two types of Ama ebi

List of Prawn (Ebi) and Crab (Kani)

(Revision date: May 28, 2026)