One of my favourite seashell sashimi. The Akagai (or “red Shell fish”) is red colour because of its abundance in iron and haemogoblin. It has a chewy texture but it is not at all rubbery. In terms of taste, I think it taste better than oyster (better texture), mussel (fresher), clam (a stronger taste).

The best time to eat it is during summer, after the mating season of the akagai shell.

The parts that you are eating in sushi bar are the legs, the overcoat and the ligament (called the himo, or the fringe). All the rest of the seashell will be discarded(like the intestines and whatever nasty stuff). I think it is rather hard to prepare and cut the seashell well, so I’ll just order it in a restaurant. Maybe I will learn how to do it myself later.

I think this will pair well with hokkigai. You can eat them together and probably you should save these 2 seashells(or seashell in general) to the very last or else you can’t really taste the milder fishes.

*This is how the clam is prepared. This is a Youtube clip on how to open a Akagai shell and how to prepare it into a presentable form.