Sazae Season: Spring to Summer
(sashimi, cooked in its own shell, marinated with soy sauce,
vinegar, and sugar)
Put
a little bit of water in the shell. Pulling the meat out becomes
easier if you put it on a grill with a bit of water in it. Or,
if you hold it over a bowl of water the Sazae will naturally
come out of its shell and go towards the water.
Hold
the shell tight and insert a shell breaker into it and move
it left and right. Cut the adductor muscle off.
Pull
the meat out halfway and take the meat and insides out slowly
using your finger. Later you can use the empty shell for removing
fish scales.
Take
the shell's lid off.
After
taking the gizzard off, cut the frilly area away around the
meat.
Also
cut away the edge of its mouth. You can only eat the meat and
the edge of the liver. When you cook it in its own shell with
a special soup made from its meat and mushrooms, it is called
"Tsuboyaki".
