Sazae – [Sushi | Foodlore]

Description

• Sazae – 栄螺 – (Turban Snail.) 

• About this sushi: Another type of Whelk! Sazae typically have a distinctly crunchier texture to their meat! As well as a very iconic spiky conical shell! Both the color of the shell (and supposedly the snail’s flavor) are said to change depending on the quality of seaweed it eats! (It’s said that healthy green seaweed turns its shell a whiteish color, darker seaweed turns it black-brownish.) Sazae are not very often prepared as a nigiri, because it’s said that it “doesn’t look beautiful” The gonads (That swirly bit), The adductor muscles & liver are all edible, but they are generally better served separately from the snails meat. (As these bits should be cooked first. rarely some chefs take the extra step/time to add the gonads on top for decoration, as I have depicted.) As such, generally; Sazae are much more often served as Sashimi (Along side the shell & lid for decoration) or as a Gunkanmaki, rather than as Nigirisushi. There’s a fairly amusing folktale about a yokai known as “Sazae-Oni” which has been said to appear as a beautiful woman on the glittering waves at night, it is known to seduce pirates & steal their ‘family jewels’ holding them as ransom for both their bounties and riches! – (See: Sazae-Oni.)