Firefly Squid · 蛍烏賊 (ほたるいか)

A thumb-sized squid that glows blue in the spring sea. Served whole — boiled, with vinegar-miso — it bursts with a rich, liver-deep sweetness.

Each spring millions surface in Toyama Bay to spawn, lighting the shoreline electric blue — a national spectacle best seen at three in the morning.

Category: ikatako · Season: spring (peak Mar, Apr, May) · Origin: Toyama Bay, Japan

Preparations

Gunkan 軍艦 · Sashimi 刺身