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Drink · Japan
Nihonshu
Japanese sake, a fermented beverage made from rice, koji and water. It is an official geographical indication of Japan and is served chilled, at room temperature, or warm, in small cups.
Flavors · Kanagawa
Shirasu-don
Bowl of rice topped with shirasu — translucent sardine fry, raw or cooked — served with soy sauce and ginger. A coastal Shonan (Kanagawa) dish made with the day’s catch from Sagami Bay.
Traditional dish from Kanagawa
Also known as: Nama shirasu-don, しらす丼, 生しらす丼
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Shirasu-don — Kanagawa, Japan
Shirasu-don is a bowl of rice, plain or seasoned with vinegar, topped with shirasu — the fine, translucent sardine fry. In the raw version, nama shirasu-don, the tiny fish arrive very fresh and shiny and are seasoned at once with soy sauce, grated ginger, green onion, nori or a raw egg yolk. In the cooked version, kamaage shirasu, they appear white after being briefly boiled in salted water.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, the dish is a specialty of the Shonan coast in Kanagawa, in places such as Chigasaki, Kamakura and Enoshima. The fishing is done in Sagami Bay, close to shore, and the catch reaches the port quickly. Because raw shirasu spoils very fast, it is only served on the day it was caught.
Shirasu fishing already existed in the Edo period, but for a long time the fry were sun-dried in thin layers; the cooked version was eaten by fishermen, and the raw version was not consumed. With large-scale boiling and refrigeration, cooked shirasu and later raw shirasu began to be sold directly by fishermen and became a regional product.
The season runs from March 11 to December 31; from January 1 to March 10 fishing is prohibited. Spring and autumn are the peak fishing seasons. Even during the season, raw shirasu depends on the sea: on days without a catch, restaurants usually serve only the cooked version.
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Where it comes from
Kanagawa
A Shonan coastal dish made with the catch from Sagami Bay.
Ingredients
White rice or vinegared rice; raw or cooked shirasu; soy sauce, grated ginger, green onion, nori seaweed, shiso leaf, egg yolk.
How it is eaten
Served in a bowl with soy sauce poured on top; many places serve half raw and half cooked so you can compare.
When it is eaten
Fishing season runs March 11 to December 31; more abundant in spring and autumn.
Your questions
Questions about Shirasu-don
When is the raw shirasu season?
Fishing runs from March 11 to December 31 and is prohibited from January 1 to March 10. Raw shirasu is only served on the day it is caught; on days without a catch, restaurants usually have only the cooked version.
Where to eat shirasu-don in Kanagawa?
On the Shonan coast, along Sagami Bay, in places such as Kamakura, Enoshima and Chigasaki, near the fishing ports.
Flavors of Japan
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Dish · Japan
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Dish · Japan
Tempura
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Dish · Fukuoka
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Dish · Hiroshima
Okonomiyaki
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Dish · Hokkaido
Jingisukan
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Dish · Ise
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Dish · Iwate
Wanko soba
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Dish · Kagawa
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Drink · Kagoshima
Satsuma shochu
Sweet-potato shochu from Kagoshima, distilled using rice koji or sweet-potato koji. Satsuma is Japan’s official geographical indication for the shochu of the prefecture, which is enjoyed with hot water, on the rocks, or with cold water.
Sweet · Kagoshima
Shirokuma
Shaved ice topped with condensed milk, colorful fruit, agar jelly cubes and azuki beans. The name, polar bear, comes from how it looks from above. A summer sweet from Kagoshima.
Dish · Kanazawa
Jibuni
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Dish · Kochi
Katsuo no tataki
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Goma-dofu
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Dish · Kumamoto
Karashi renkon
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Dish · Miyajima
Anago-meshi
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Dish · Miyazaki
Chikin nanban
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Dish · Miyoshi
Iya soba
Thick, short soba made only from buckwheat from the Iya Valley, without binding wheat flour, served in hot broth with fried tofu, kamaboko, scallions and mountain greens. A dish from the Iya Valley, in Miyoshi.
Dish · Nagano
Oyaki
Dumpling made from wheat flour, sometimes mixed with buckwheat, filled with vegetables seasoned with miso or soy sauce, or with sweet bean paste; baked, steamed, or both. A dish from Nagano, from mountain villages.
Dish · Nagasaki
Champon
Thick noodles cooked in their own rich broth, with pork, seafood, kamaboko and many vegetables sautéed in the same pan. A Nagasaki dish tied to the city’s history as an open port.
Sweet · Nagasaki
Kasutera
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Dish · Nagoya
Miso-nikomi udon
Firm udon, made without salt, cooked in an earthenware pot in a dark soy miso (haccho miso) broth, with chicken, fried tofu, scallion and egg. A dish from Nagoya and Aichi.
Dish · Nara
Kakinoha-zushi
Small pressed sushis of salted mackerel on seasoned rice, each wrapped in a persimmon leaf. A dish from Nara, served at the summer festivals of Gojō and Yoshino.
Drink · Okinawa
Awamori
Rice spirit from Okinawa, made with black koji and sometimes aged for years (kusu). Ryukyu is Japan’s official geographical indication for awamori from the prefecture.
Dish · Okinawa
Goya champuru
Stir-fry of goya, the bitter melão-de-são-caetano, with firm Okinawan tofu, egg and pork. It’s the best-known champuru from Okinawa, made at home and served in restaurants across the prefecture.
Dish · Okinawa
Okinawa soba
Thick wheat noodles, not buckwheat, in a pork-and-dried-bonito broth, topped with simmered pork belly, kamaboko, scallions and pickled red ginger. It’s an everyday dish in Okinawa.
Dish · Osaka
Takoyaki
Dough balls made from flour, egg and dashi with pieces of octopus, cooked on a griddle with round hollows and topped with sauce, mayonnaise, seaweed and dried bonito flakes. It’s Osaka’s best-known flavor.
Dish · Kyoto
Saba-zushi
Salted and vinegar-marinated mackerel sushi on a rice log, wrapped in bamboo sheath. A celebratory dish of Kyoto, tied to the Saba Kaido, the route that brought mackerel from the Wakasa Sea.
Dish · Sendai
Gyutan
Sliced beef tongue, seasoned and grilled, served with barley rice, pickles and oxtail soup. It’s Sendai’s signature dish, created after World War II.
Dish · Shiga
Funazushi
Nigorobuna carp from Lake Biwa, salted and fermented for months with rice: an ancient form of sushi with a strong taste and aroma. A dish from Shiga, deeply rooted in the prefecture’s culture.
Dish · Shimane
Izumo soba
Dark, aromatic soba made from whole-ground buckwheat with the husk, served cold in stacks of round bowls (warigo) or hot, straight from the pot (kamaage). A dish from the Izumo region in Shimane.
Dish · Takayama
Hoba miso
Koji miso with scallion and mushrooms, roasted on a dry magnolia leaf (hoba) over a small tabletop brazier. A dish from the Hida-Takayama region in the mountains of Gifu.
Dish · Toyama
Masuzushi
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Dish · Tóquio
Edomae-zushi
Nigiri in the Edo style, from old Tokyo: a small ball of vinegar-seasoned rice topped with cured, cooked, marinated, or raw fish. It originated as street-vendor food and spread around the world.
Dish · Tóquio
Monjayaki
A very thin batter of wheat flour and broth, with cabbage and other ingredients, cooked on a griddle at the table and eaten bit by bit with small spatulas. A Tokyo dish associated with the Tsukishima neighborhood.
Dish · Yamagata
Imoni
Taro stew with meat, konnyaku and scallion, cooked in large pots on riverbanks in autumn at Yamagata’s imonikai. Inland it includes beef and shoyu; on the Shonai coast it uses pork and miso.
Dish · Yamanashi
Hoto
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Beyond the guide
