Botan Ebi Spot Prawn XL 2.2lb

What is Botan Ebi?
Botan ebi (牡丹海老, spot prawn) is prized for its delightful texture and an extraordinarily sweet flavor. These are extra-large prawns, a delicacy in Japanese cooking and a favorite for sashimi, where the sweetness harmonizes with well-seasoned shari (sushi rice). Each box holds 21–24 large botan ebi, 2.2 lbs in all, sourced from the cold waters of Hokkaido or Canada depending on supply.

The appeal is the sweetness and the soft, almost creamy texture of the raw flesh — richer and sweeter than a cooked shrimp, closer to amaebi but larger and meatier. Nothing about it needs cooking; it's at its best raw.

Specifications

How to enjoy

Thaw in the refrigerator, peel, and serve raw as sashimi or over rice as nigiri — the sweetness is the point, so keep it simple with a little wasabi and soy. Don't throw away the heads: grill or deep-fry them, or simmer them into a miso soup, where they give a deep shrimp flavor. Any roe is prized too. Use raw preparations the day it's thawed.

Pairing notes — wasabi and soy, sushi rice, a squeeze of citrus, and the heads in miso soup.