Ise-Ebi – [Sushi|Foodlore]

Description

Ise-Ebi – (Spiny lobster.) – Hiragana: いせえび Katakana: イセエビ Kanji:鰝 –

• About this fish: Ise-ebi are named after the Ise Peninsula between Mie and Aichi prefectures, where they where most often fished up! These lobsters lack the powerful pincer claws which pacific lobsters & other types are known for, instead it defends itself using its beard like spines. Ise-ebi are said to look like old men because of their mess of claws that resemble “beards” – In general, Lobsters are symbols of luck and longevity as they tend to have extremely long lifespans! (It’s a very popular maritime myth which says that lobsters ‘live indefinitely’ or that they simply ‘do not die of old age.’ However the fact of the matter is that their natural lifespans are usually 50-100 years, so most people just dont tend to live to see them die.) Ise-Ebi is something of a rare sight to be seen served as simple Nigiri, mostly due to the lobster’s size. (it’s said to be better used in soup broth or other dishes such as sashimi) But, you’ll often see their tail-shells or heads as decoration in high end sushi restaurants. Smaller specimens might be used as nigiri, but its a fairly rare sight. The meat is described as sweet, springy and delicious!

[ise-ebi along with some smaller tigershrimp. Edo Period print. Kuniyoshi 1837]

[Art Sticker by samkalensky part of my sushi/foodlore collections]