🐟 Pacific sand lance: イカナゴ (ikanago)
The taste of spring in Kobe and Akashi. When the season opens, families simmer them in sweet soy (kugini). Catches have been small in recent years, and seasons often short.
- Japanese
- イカナゴ
- Reading
- いかなご · ikanago
- Kanji
- 玉筋魚
- Best months
- Feb – Mar
- Allergy group
- Fish
Order this
Japanイカナゴをお願いします。
South Korea까나리 부탁드립니다.
Pacific sand lance, please.
Other names
| シンコ しんこ · shinko | Regional name · Kansai · Young sand lance. Careful: in Kanto, shinko means young gizzard shad |
| コウナゴ こうなご · konago | Regional name · Kanto |
| くぎ煮 くぎに · kugini | At the market / sushi bar · Kobe and Akashi · Simmered in sweet soy; looks like bent nails (kugi) |
Local dishes with this fish
| Ikanago kugini (sand lance simmered in sweet soy) · Hyogo (Kobe, Akashi) | Feb – Apr |
Name in other languages
| 한국어 | 까나리 |
| 简体中文 | 玉筋鱼 |
| 繁體中文 | 玉筋魚 |
| Tiếng Việt | Cá chình cát Thái Bình Dương |
| Español | Lanzón del Pacífico |
| 日本語 | イカナゴ |
← Sushi fish guide: names and seasons
Seasons shift with the weather and the catch each year. Ask the restaurant what is in today.