Hokkai Shima Ebi, or Hokkaido striped shrimp, is a prized summer seafood of eastern Hokkaido. Known for its beautiful striped appearance and wonderfully rich, melting sweetness, this shrimp is a seasonal delicacy that is best enjoyed fresh during its short fishing season.
When raw, Hokkai Shima Ebi has a greenish-brown body decorated with several vertical white or yellow stripes. When cooked, the greenish-brown parts turn red, creating an attractive red-and-white striped pattern.
This striking appearance is one of the characteristics that makes Hokkai Shima Ebi easy to recognize among Hokkaido’s many varieties of seafood.
Important fishing grounds include Notsuke Bay, Lake Saroma, Lake Notoro, Akkeshi Bay and Soya Bay. The main season runs from June through mid-August.
Because Hokkai Shima Ebi does not preserve particularly well through long-term freezing, it is rarely enjoyed outside its natural season. This makes the fresh shrimp caught during early summer and summer especially valuable to seafood lovers.
The defining characteristic of Hokkai Shima Ebi is its smooth, melting sweetness and rich umami. It can certainly be enjoyed raw as sashimi, where its natural sweetness and texture are easy to appreciate.
However, the most recommended preparation is salt-boiling. Unlike some seafood that is best served raw, cooking Hokkai Shima Ebi in salted water brings out even more of its natural sweetness and savory richness.
Freshly boiled Hokkai Shima Ebi during the fishing season is considered the ultimate way to enjoy this specialty. From early summer through August, the shrimp can be tasted at its freshest, when its characteristic sweetness and rich flavor are at their peak.
For travelers exploring eastern Hokkaido, Hokkai Shima Ebi is a particularly memorable seasonal seafood experience—a delicacy that captures the flavors of Hokkaido’s northern waters in a single bite.
June, July and August