Hirota Bay Ishikage Clam (Iwate): season, origin and where to buy

Official registration details (MAFF)

The registered description as published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Characteristics

Ishikage-gai is a mollusk with deep shells colored a strong red-brown, and a cream-hued "foot," which is the edible part. The meat is high in free amino acids, plump and resilient in texture, and sweet and umami-rich in taste. Ishikage-gai from Hirota Bay is especially prized by high-end Tokyo restaurants and sushi establishments for its freshness, distinctive sweetness, and rarity.

Link with the production area

Hirota Bay was the first in the country to commence commercial-scale Ishikage-gai farming in 1996 following the perfection in 1993 of a method that involves suspending in the seawater basins filled with sand and collected natural juveniles. The method takes advantage of the jagged "ria" coastline of Hirota Bay.The roughly 2.5 year farming process from collecting juveniles to shipment is carried out by local fishing industry workers and others under a well-coordinated program. Farmed Ishikage-gai are rigorously selected for quality before shipment.

Characteristics and link with the area: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website (https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/intel/gi_act/register/s114.html)

Where to buy

As a rule, only products that meet the registered standard may use a GI name (with exceptions such as prior use). Check for the GI mark and the place of origin to tell it apart from ordinary products with similar names.

Buy from the producer group (opens in a new tab)

These links go to Japanese-language shops; check whether they ship overseas.

FAQ

Ezo ishikage clams farmed for about two and a half years in Hirota Bay, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate. They have plump, dark reddish-brown shells, and the cream-colored foot is springy, sweet and savory. They are used by high-end Japanese restaurants and sushi bars.

Hirota Bay Ishikage Clam is produced in Hirota Bay, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture.

Look for it via the producer group's own shop. Check the GI mark and the place of origin before you buy.

Hirota Bay Ishikage Clam was registered as a Geographical Indication on February 3, 2022 (Registration No. 114). The registered producer group is Hirotawan Fisheries Cooperative.