Scallops and red clams are delicious as sashimi and sushi. Oysters” have a peculiar taste, but once you get hooked on them, you can’t get away from them. Miso soup with asari clam and shijimi clam…. There are many kinds of shellfish, each with its own taste and character.
Now, I would like to introduce a shellfish called “Tsukihi clam. As its fantastic name suggests, one side of the shell is white like the moon and the other side is red like the sun, a rich contrast. Also, when the shell is opened, the inside is slightly yellow, and from a distance, does it not look like a crescent moon?
The fact that the surface is round and smooth, not jagged like scallops and red clams, is also somewhat mysterious. But the inside is jagged.
I first came to know of this Tsukijikigai through the work of the poet Misuzu Kaneko, and I have always been fascinated by the name, thinking, “What a wonderful name.
I have been longing for this moon snail for a long time. The other day, it was on sale at Kichiike, a supermarket specializing in seafood, and I was finally able to get it! (I ran in in the evening and they had the last two. I wanted more.)
Although I had seen specimens of shells at the Marine Science Museum of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, this was the first time for me to have the real thing, and I am very impressed.
However, although I had purchased it with great enthusiasm, it was actually the first time in my life to handle a bivalve with the shell attached…. I was afraid to put the knife in the shell, but to my surprise, I was able to handle it easily and effortlessly! （I was able to remove the meatballs without any trouble! Everything is an experience, isn’t it? I would like to take this opportunity to try other bivalve shells as well.)
The taste was sweet and smooth, just like scallops. The scallops are large and have no peculiarities, including the mimi, and some people even say that they taste better than scallops.
The photo shows a serving of two scallops and a serving of mimi. The mimi were lightly soaked in hot water.
Since the number of scallops available this time was small, we served them simply as sashimi. The scallops are large, so they are very filling and would go well with carpaccio, pasta, and other dishes. It would also be good grilled with butter or steamed with sake. I could dream of many things when I can get them again.
I hope everyone will try them when you find them.
