Sakura Ebi Cherry Shrimp Shimizu Suruga Bay Dried
Suruga Bay, Shizuoka (Yui port fishermen); one of only two global concentrations of this species
Sakura ebi (cherry blossom shrimp, Lucifer hanseni) are tiny translucent-pink shrimp approximately 4cm long that exist in commercial fishing quantities in only two places globally: Suruga Bay in Shizuoka, Japan, and the Taiwan Strait. Japanese fishermen from Yui in Shimizu (now Shizuoka City) have harvested sakura ebi since the late 19th century, with a strictly controlled season: twice per year (spring and autumn) with precise opening dates. The shrimp are caught at depth during nighttime surface-feeding migrations. Fresh sakura ebi (nama-sakura ebi) available at Yui port during the season are served as kake-don (over rice with soy and ginger), as tempura, and in salads. Dried sakura ebi (hoshi-sakura ebi) are available year-round nationally—they're scattered over okonomiyaki, stirred into rice, used as a topping for cold tofu and salads, and fried in fritters. The concentrated ocean flavor from drying makes them one of the most fragrant small additions to any preparation—a few grams of dried sakura ebi transform a simple dish. The pink-red color intensifies when cooked. The shrimp's translucency when fresh, pink-white color when dried, and cherry blossom (sakura) resemblance in the mass of curved bodies gave them their poetic name.