Lesson 2 Sushi Akagai

Ark Shell (aka Red Clam or Bloody Clam)

THE FACTS: The name Akagai (translated in Japanese literally as Red Shell) stems from the beautiful reddish-orange colored meat found inside.  In English, Akagai is more commonly known as the “Ark Shell”, because the round brown shell somewhat resembles the hull of a boat.

Akagai is really considered to be a staple Sushi ingredient, as references to its use in the cuisine date back to the times when Edomaezushi (the old world term for Sushi as eaten today) first came into existence.  Fresh Akagai is notably quite tough when chewing, but this toughness combined with the unique aroma and astringent sweetness is probably the major reason for its sustaining popularity over the years.

From Winter to early Spring, Akagai is found to be at its peak for Sushi flavor fanatics, as the outer shell will be visually much darker and it’s inner meat is much redder.  However, as summertime approaches, the Akagai shell lightens and its meat starts to become whitish in color; as this occurs the meat becomes less tough, much thinner and quite watery, thus losing much of its fine taste.

Nutritionally, Akagai is very high in Vitamin B, Taurine and Calcium.  It has also been said to be particularly beneficial in decreasing cholesterol and is considered good for aiding the recovery of fatigue.

In addition to the tasty meat of Akagai, Sushi connoisseurs take great pleasure in the adductor muscle and mantle lobes, both of which are touted as Akagai’s delicacies. In fact, there are some who will claim that the crunchy mantle (also called the ‘himo’) is tastier than Akagai itself.

Fonte: Sushipedia https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sushipedia/id326316017?mt=8