Shirasu: Shonan's Whitebait Specialty

Shirasu, the tiny, translucent juveniles of sardine species, are caught along the Shonan coast near Enoshima and served two main ways: nama-jirasu, raw and glistening, available only very fresh and often only near the fishing ports, and kama-age, lightly boiled and slightly firmer, which travels and keeps better. Because shirasu are so small and delicate, they're caught, processed, and eaten on a very short turnaround compared to most seafood.

The most common way to eat shirasu is piled generously over a bowl of rice as shirasu-don, sometimes mixed with other small fish for contrast, and topped with grated ginger, scallion, or a raw egg. Japan enforces a seasonal fishing closure for shirasu in Sagami Bay, typically running from January into early March, to protect stocks, meaning fresh raw shirasu isn't available year-round even in Shonan — check current closure dates locally, since they can shift slightly year to year.