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Redspotted shrimp (Guiana pink)

【Nigiri sushi: Ebi/Kani】
What is Guiana pink ebi?
This shrimp is found in the Atlantic Ocean on the African coast and on the American coast from the Caribbean to Brazil. The maximum standard length is 17.0 cm. Adults live in bottom mud or sand of marine habitats, juveniles in estuarine environments. Adults may also be found in a lagoon.

It is also called New Guinea pink, the names are confusing. Like Mexico brown, it is often used as a sushi topping. There is one round spot on the outside of each one that doesn’t disappear, even with boiling, so it’s even easy for an amateur to tell the difference. Southern pink shrimp and southern brown shrimp also inhabit the same waters, but they are sometimes collectively referred to as Guiana pink ebi in Japan.

Sushi restaurants use this species or yellowleg shrimp among imported frozen shrimp. Both of these species are depleted and their prices are skyrocketing. Redspotted shrimp are no longer treated as a substitute for Kuruma ebi as in the past but have become a high-end sushi topping.

【Related contents】
What is Meki? Substitute for Kuruma ebi?

List of Prawn (Ebi) and Crab (Kani)

(Revision date: January 10, 2024)