What are these creatures?

D

Daniel

先輩

27 May 2004

53

2

• 27 May 2004

• #1

Found these on the Tokyo fish market. Can anyone tell me what animal these are?

 

RockLee

Hullu

22 Apr 2004

3,806

133

• 27 May 2004

• #2

They look like they escaped from an Aliens-set !

 

F

fugue

先輩

25 Feb 2004

31

1

• 27 May 2004

• #3

that's hoya, sea squirt.

 

G

GoldCoinLover

後輩

24 May 2004

1,046

12

• 27 May 2004

• #4

Ewww......... what are they fried in the second picture? Or is that a level of decomposition?

sea squirt? Heh, you mean sea squid?

 

Lina Inverse

後輩

29 Apr 2004

1,700

49

• 27 May 2004

• #5

That clearly belongs to the most gross things I've seen this far
"It came from outer space"

 

D

Daniel

先輩

27 May 2004

53

2

• 27 May 2004

• Thread starter
• #6

They aren't fried,that's just another variation of the species. So it is a sea-squirt, I never heard of this animal before.How do you eat it?

 

F

fugue

先輩

25 Feb 2004

31

1

• 27 May 2004

• #7

Hoya sashimi.



http://www.ukemochi.com/menu/menu1/hoya/hoya.html

 

D

Daniel

先輩

27 May 2004

53

2

• 28 May 2004

• Thread starter
• #8

Doesn't look too bad. Does it taste good? What is the texture of the meat? It looks kind of slimey.

 

F

fugue

先輩

25 Feb 2004

31

1

• 28 May 2004

• #9

It's also known as sea pineapple.
Tastes like frute.
Rare delicacy.

 

RockLee

Hullu

22 Apr 2004

3,806

133

• 28 May 2004

• #10

Well...sounds like I have to try sometime !!!!

 

lexico

後輩

22 Dec 2004

2,584

155

• 11 Jun 2005

• #11

I love this 'hoya' ホヤ sea squirt (1850) or ascidian (1856); they make one of the best chasers *slurrrps*
As for looks and texture (yellow part) somewhat close to yellow peach with a heavenly scent! Best eaten fresh & raw.
As for the sinuous shell, it's as tough as cow hide, so you can enjoy it for a good 30 min before swallowing it! Can be eaten raw or boiled.

MW 10th Collegiate on ascidian:

etymology [New Latin Ascidia, group comprising turnicates < Ascidium, genus name < Greek askidion, diminutive of askos wineskin, bladder]
definition: any of a class (Ascidacea) of solitary or colonial sessile tunicates that have an oral and an atrial siphon -- called also sea squirt.

http://bio.classes.ucsc.edu/bio136/urochordata/urochordata.html

Google image search for Ascidian 'large image

Google image search for Sea Squirt 'large image

Does anyone have the species identification?

 

Apollo

先輩

28 Mar 2004

1,810

45

• 11 Jun 2005

• #12

Sea squirts are an animal species with many characteristics of plants.

These two Latin names are commonly found among popular sea squirts found in Japan:
"Styela clava" (leathery sea squirt) and "Styela Plicata".
A solitary sea squirt has a long club-shaped body tapering to a slender and tough stalk. 12 cm tall, the stalk can be a third of the total length. The surface of the sea squirt can be leathery with folds and swellings. The two openings (siphons) at the top end are close together.
The sea squirt is a small slug-like creature that was previously best known for eating its own brain: once it has found an appropriate rock to set up home on it has no further use for its brain, and digests it. (!!!)
WHERE ARE THEY? Found in shallow water on hard surfaces.
Often found in sheltered warm water docks and harbours.
What do they eat?
They feed on plankton.

 

Kamakiri

先輩

27 Apr 2005

37

5

• 12 Jun 2005

• #13

I had these at my friend's house last month, and I was surprised how good they were! Being a biology major I knew what these were right away, and was rather loth to try them, but I'll try anything once, so I ate one....and then a few more. The texture is reeeally weird, like someone else said it's like a peach, but with a coarse/paste-like inner layer. At least I can say I've eaten them...

 

ralian

長靴をはいた猫やねん

1 Sep 2003

540

10

• 12 Jun 2005

• #14

I've never seen it before.
There are so many weird creatures in the ocean!
Fascinating!

 

Hiroyuki Nagashima

TAN

Twenty-year veteran

18 Jan 2005

11,682

3,643

• 12 Jun 2005

• #15

Hoya is not eaten in Kansai and Kyushu.
I have eaten in Iwate.
I have respect toward courage of the person who ate a sea squirt first in the world.

 

nanda

先輩

6 Apr 2005

305

1

• 24 Jun 2005

• #16

how do u cook that sea pineapple?

 

P

pipokun

先輩

4 Feb 2005

2,559

46

• 25 Jun 2005

• #17

it is usually dressed in a sweet sour miso sauce, Sumiso.
sumiso: vineger, sugar, mirin, white miso, and mustard
In spring rape blossoms are also dressed in it.

 

Apollo

先輩

28 Mar 2004

1,810

45

• 30 Jun 2005

• #18

Imagine eating something which has digested its own brain..... ☝

 

lexico

後輩

22 Dec 2004

2,584

155

• 30 Jun 2005

• #19

Not having eaten someone else's brain, might I say it shall be free of Mad Cow Disease, BSE, or CJD ?
And also, no pain, nor struggle, nor competition, no stress, no sad memories to anguish over; all this would give it a very heatlhy chemistry, happy meat so to speak.
I would say sea squirts can be rightfully called the Buddha of the sea.

 

P

Pararousia

先輩

15 Feb 2005

122

10

• 30 Jun 2005

• #20

Miss_apollo7 said:

The sea squirt, is a small slug-like creature that was previously best known for eating its own brain

Reminds me of some occupational hazard, say, TV news.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...