Kazunoko

Salted and dried herring ovaries, kazunoko, were once abundant but are now so scarce that they have become a rare delicacy. Soak in water overnight to soften and remove the salt before use. Kazunoko is usually eaten as it is with a little shoyu and katsuo-bushi, dried skipjack tuna flakes. It is one of the specia items that constitute the New Year’s day celebration brunch and is also used as a sushi topping. It is rarely available outside Japan, but most sushi restaurants have it on the menu.