Protected local food
Noda Araumi Scallops
岩手野田村荒海ホタテ
Scallops farmed in Noda Bay, the most open bay on Iwate's Sanriku coast. Araumi means rough sea. The meat is thick and rich, and the muscle is springy.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 10 November 2017
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 岩手野田村荒海ホタテ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 岩手県野田村野田湾
Grown in a rough sea
Noda Bay, in Noda village on the coast of Iwate, is the most open of the Sanriku bays. Waves hit it hard, but the currents flow well and the water is clean and full of plankton. Araumi means rough sea, and it is what gives these scallops their name.
Room to swim
Growers raise the scallops in baskets with enough space to move freely in the nutrient-rich water. The result is thick, rich-tasting meat with a firm, springy adductor muscle. Each shell is cleaned by hand, so the scallops look as good as they taste.
How to eat it
Eat the muscle raw as sashimi, grill scallops in the shell with butter and soy sauce, or add them to a seafood bowl.
Good to know
- Noda is on the Sanriku Railway along Iwate's coast, a scenic ride. Local restaurants serve scallop rice bowls.
- In Iwate, also try Maesawa beef. Further south, Miyagi Salmon is farmed on the same coast.
Questions travellers ask
What does araumi mean?
Rough sea. The scallops grow in an open bay with strong waves and good currents.
Where is Noda?
A village on the Sanriku coast of Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.