Awabi 鮑

The abalone is a kind of shellfish within the Haliotis family, and is caught mainly along the coasts from Ibaraki southward. The abalone in distribution in Japan falls into four main types — kuro-awabi, ezo-awabi, megai-awabi and madaka-awabi — but wild ones are now seldom caught, and most you come across are farmed.

The abalone commands the highest market price of any shellfish, with kuro-awabi the most expensive of all, as it is regarded as the most delicious. Occasionally a shop offers kuro-awabi for just a few hundred yen a piece — these are imported from overseas (though they are said to be delicious all the same). Savouring the crunchy bite of abalone together with fluffy vinegared rice is one of its great pleasures.