Dragon claws

Check out this appetizer we got at a local sushi shop last week:

They appeared to be some kind of barnacle and I dubbed them dragon claws, although I've since found out they're called kame no te (turtle feet). I think they look more like dragon claws than turtle feet, but I can see why they wanted to give a cute name to such a horrific looking food.

These came as one of those appetizers that are automatically presented when ordering alcohol (a system I'm not fond of, as you have to pay for it even though you didn't order it), so we weren't expecting them and we were more than a little surprised--and possibly a bit frightened--when they were served. I'd never seen kame no te before and had no idea what they were or how to eat them.

We eventually managed to pull out the meat with our teeth, which wasn't an easy feat but produced little morsels of pink meat that were, actually, really tasty. They had a clam-like chewiness and brininess as well as a pleasant sweetness, but they were so much work to eat that I don't know if it was worth the trouble.

They definitely win the prize for oddest food eaten this year.

Update: Clicking the picture will take you to Flickr, where there are some comments from someone who actually harvests these for a living. They are called percebes or goose barnacles and are difficult and dangerous to harvest and quite expensive. I've also found out that they are popular in Spain, where they are much bigger.

Update 2: On a visit to Izu Oshima (an island just south of Tokyo) I found these all over the rocks. They are very strong and impossible to pry off the rocks with bare hands, and I can really see why they are hard to harvest. I'm tempted to bring tools next time and give it a go...

Comments

[carlyn]

Amy;
...interesting.. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

[JupiterGoddess]

Ewwww, what did it taste like? What's it's texture? And "Chicken" doesn't count! XD

[illahee]

i saw these on TV just the other day (last weekend??) and IIRC, they were calling them 'turtle toes' in japanese. (kamenoashiyuubi or maybe just kamenoyuubi.) looks interesting but i'm certainly not brave enough to try any....

[baboo]

Wow- Dragonclaws, dragonflies, skull-bone phone straps made out of human teeth/femurs/inner ear bits--it's like a Biker Blog. Your little cricket pix are very good, and I must agree with Sam: the hydrangeas up close are very unworldly. Also, Japanese crickets are much more handsome than Canadian ones.

Speaking of unworldly, the other day I was in a lab where they perform laser-mass spec analyses of these large stones that grow in dog and horse gall bladders. The results of the analyses idicate what the stones are made of, and that tells the horse/dog owner (or the vet) what needs to change in the diet of the animal to prevent these things from growing. One of the stones was about the size of a racketball. Now, a couple of those on a leather thong would make a killer phone strap, ay?

I'd like to try those dragonclaws some time.

Babbbboooo

[Amy]

Carlyn,
This was a first for me too.

JupiterGoddess,
They tasted and felt like clams. Really nice actually, but nothing to go crazy over.

Illahee,
Thanks, I couldn't remember what they are called. Turtle toes- how cute! I wonder if they are a new fad or something.

Babboo,
I think all the pretty flowers balance out the skulls and dragons. But speaking of biker blogs, they do exist- even amoung the English-language Japan blogs there are two!
Neat about the gallstones. If I ever had one I would definitely turn it into some kind of jewelry or accessory. I could probably call it a "healing stone" and make a good profit!