Konowata ✦ ◆

Konowata

What it is

Ko is the old word for sea cucumber — namako is raw ko — and konowata is simply its guts, stripped, washed, salted and left to mature for weeks. It is counted among the three great chinmi of Japan alongside mullet-roe karasumi and sea urchin, and one animal yields a few grams.

In the kitchen

Serve it cold and by the teaspoon, straight from the fridge with warm sake — heat destroys it and a large helping is punishing. A little stirred into grated yam, or dropped onto a hot bowl of rice at table, is the gentler way in.

Goes with

Junmai sake Nagaimo (Chinese yam) Rice Yuzu Negi Kombu Daikon

Same species

Sea cucumber Kuchiko (dried sea cucumber ovaries)

In season alongside

Kazunoko Mekabu Mussel Oyster Abalone Belon flat oyster

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