
Ishigaki Gai @ Chiba/Ichihara/Igoi/Sushi/Suzushi/Mizutani/Gourmet
Its real name is "Ezo spiny dogfish," and it is found from Ibaraki to the north. Natural products are rarely harvested and are not marketed.
After being successfully cultivated in Rikuzentakata, they began to appear in Tsukiji around 2008 and were distributed as "Ishigakage" (stone shellfish). According to a middleman, people in Tsukiji misheard the word "ishikage" as "ishigaki," which is why it is called this in Tsukiji.
However, the 2010 Chilean earthquake tsunami and the 2011 Great Northern Japan Earthquake caused catastrophic damage, and the shellfish themselves, as well as the aquaculture facilities, were all swept away.
After that, through the efforts of the people of Sanriku, aquaculture facilities were restored and shipments resumed in 2014.
The season for the Ishikagegai is considered to be from summer to fall, and the months of June to September, when farm-raised ones are available in Hirota Bay, are almost exactly the right time to eat them. The meat of this thick bivalve has a strong sweet taste, similar to that of the cockle, and it has a crunchy texture and a delicious flavor.
If you lightly pound the shellfish just before serving, it will harden the shellfish and give it a nice texture. The shellfish will move around, so be sure not to miss your chance to capture the moment!