Shirasu

Tiny Japanese whitebait, shirasu are the juvenile stage of Japanese anchovy (Katakuchi iwashi) and sardines, harvested in enormous quantities from coastal waters around Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Chiba prefectures. Eaten whole, bones and all, they are a staple ingredient in Japanese home cooking: served over rice, tossed into pasta, incorporated into onigiri, or eaten as a snack with soy and wasabi. Tinned shirasu preserves them in salted oil or soy-based sauces, extending the pantry life of what is otherwise a highly perishable product. Bokksu and other Japanese specialty importers have introduced tinned shirasu to Western markets in flavoured formats including yuzu pepper and mentaiko. A genuinely distinctive product with no direct equivalent in Western tinned fish traditions.

How to eat it: over hot rice with a little soy, folded into onigiri, or tossed through pasta with garlic and oil. Eaten whole, a savory topping more than a plate.