Kamakura's most typical dish: raw or blanched anchovy fry served over a bowl of rice from 1.000-1.500 ¥.
Shirasu is the Japanese name for anchovy fry (katakuchi-iwashi), and Sagami Bay, off Kamakura, is one of the most prolific fishing grounds in Japan for this small semi-transparent fry. The shirasu-don (rice bowl with shirasu) exists in two versions: the kama-age shirasu, steam-blanched and with a soft, salty texture, and the nama shirasu, served completely raw, available only when the fishing boats return in the morning and the quantity is sufficient (there are days when there is no stock). The difference in flavour is notable: the raw one has a more gelatinous texture and a more marine, intense flavour; the cooked one is silkier. The price of a full bowl with broth, pickles and tea is around 1.000-1.500 ¥. The best specialist restaurants are in Yuigahama and on the street next to the Hase-dera temple. Many also serve shirasu pizza, shirasu salad with tofu and shirasu on bruschetta in places with terraces facing the sea, a reflection of the mix of Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine that characterises Kamakura. This is the Japanese city where beach food has the most gastronomic personality of its own.
