What is kawa-ebi in sushi?川海老
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi kawa-ebi.
How to call kawa-ebi
【kawa-ebi】freshwater shrimp カワエビ 川海老
As the name suggests, river shrimp is a type of shrimp that lives in freshwater areas. The official name is “suji shrimp”. In other areas, it is also called tenaga shrimp. The name “striped shrimp” comes from the clear lines on its transparent shell. In addition, there are several species of long-tailed shrimp in Japan, such as Hirate-naga-ebi and Minami-nami-naga-ebi.
The peak season for kawa-ebi
The season for river shrimp (striped shrimp) is mainly in winter, from January to February. The striped shrimp is a freshwater shrimp that is distributed from Hokkaido to Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula, and lives in freshwater and brackish waters of lakes and rivers. The main production area for food is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture.
The spawning season for striped shrimp is from around March to September, and the peak fishing season is the previous winter, from January to February. At this time of year, striped shrimp are fresh and delicious, and can be eaten whole.
However, as striped shrimp may contain parasites, it is generally recommended to avoid eating them raw and to cook them2. You can enjoy it in a variety of dishes such as fried chicken, miso soup, and tsukudani.
