Ikanago
Ikanago ( Japanese : イ カ ナ ゴ), more rarely Kamasugo , is a Japanese name for a small Japanese sandeel species ( scientific name : Ammodytes personatus) similar to the Tobias fish .
Fish species
The juvenile fish in Japan are called Koonago or Shinko , depending on the region , while adult fish are called Merōdo or Furuse . In Kyushu they are called Kanagi.
The Ikanago is a fish from the northern waters and buries itself in the sand in the latitudes of Japan in the summer months. It is native to the Seto Inland Sea . Its habitat has been restricted in recent decades, as the sand that the Ikanago inhabits is suitable for making concrete and has been quarried to a greater extent in some places. The Ikanago fishery has also decreased accordingly.
Specialty in Kansai
In the Banshū region (播 州 地方), for example from Kobe to just before Okayama , Ikanago are prepared as a side dish to rice in the spring season: 2-3 cm long Ikanago are cooked in sugar and soy sauce with a little sake until there is no liquid left. The sticky amount of Ikanago (い か な ご) prepared in this way is eaten with white rice in a dish like tsukemono and is still very popular regionally: Even today, many housewives in the area prepare their own Ikanago instead of buying it in the supermarket, and like to give it away as a gift or a small gift. This can be compared with baking Christmas cookies in German-speaking countries.