Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid)

Hi everyone,

Has anyone heard about firefly squid?  They're super cool!  Bright blue bioluminescent, they of course spend most of their time in the very deep ocean (like most bioluminescent fish)

Science!  Science is fantastic!

However, once a year, they come up to the surface for mating season.  Toyama Bay here in Japan is famous for this, and every year the entire bay turns bright blue

#55,483 on my list of things to do here in Japan . . .

Cool, right?  The mysteries of science are even more impressive than fiction



Oh . . . and did I mention that they are delicious???  Hahaha you didn't really think this blog post was just about the pretty lights?  Yup, for a very short period of time in spring, you can find them on menus here in Japan

They have a very soft texture compared to normal squid, although still with a bit of bite to them.  The flavor is a touch briny without being overly fishy, and they're bite-sized, or if you're savoring them then I guess two bites.  More importantly, they have a subtle sweetness the pairs awesome with their savory ocean flavor

Enter Izakaya Hoochie Coochie . . .

Turns out, they are *delicious* tempura-style . . . there were a lot more to this order, but I got distracted because they were so delicious and ate half of them before remembering to take a picture

Oh and hey, you can flash-boil them and serve them sashimi-style.  Which happens to go *very* well with shochu, but that's another post, I think . . .

Moral of the story:  Always go with the seasonal goods here in Japan.  You will not be disappointed

Especially when Hiro is the chef.  Hell yeah

Noah out