Seminal Vesicles of Fish as Japanese Food

choi

Jessica Thompson, Fish Sperm Is a Delicacy in Japan – This Is How to Eat It; Think of it as pre-caviar. 10best.com, Jan 30, 2021
https://www.10best.com/interests ... -japanese-delicacy/

Note:
(a) Anatomically, what this article talks about is not sperm or milt. The caption of photo 1 in this article mentions: "Shirako (or fish sperm sacs) * * *"  

In English the anatomical term is seminal vesicle. In Japan it is shirako (the s is capitalized in the quotation, due to shirako being the first word of the caption).
(b) Japanese-English dictionary:
* shirako 白子 【しらこ】  (The "shira" and "shiro" are two (and only two) of Japanese pronunciations for kanji 白.)
* ankimo あん肝; 鮟肝 【あんきも】 (n): "monkfish liver"
* kani かに(P); カニ 《蟹》 (n): "crab"  (The かに is hiragana, and カニ, katakana. Both pronounced as kani, which is Japanese pronunciation.)
* ponzu ポン酢 【ポンず】 (n): "juice pressed from a bitter orange" (Ja.wikipedia.org says the term is 外来語 from the Netherlands which is obsolete there (Netherlands).

(c) "I was in labyrinthine alleyways of Osaka's Shinsekai area at a tiny seafood izakaya filled with lively locals, feeling pretty proud of myself for downing slabs of raw squid, ankimo (steamed monkfish fish liver, known as the 'foie gras of the sea'), and kanimiso (a grey/green paste of crab brains) * * * It [白子] was topped with some sliced spring onion, a shiso leaf * * * I wanted to keep face with my date and the onlookers"
(i) Shinsekai  新世界
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinsekai
("is an old neighbourhood" in 大阪市浪速区)
(ii) izakaya  居酒屋
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya
(iii) Monkfish.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), IS Department of Commerce, undated
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/monkfish   
("The commercial monkfish fishery in the US operates from Maine to North Carolina out to the continental margin. * * * The market for monkfish is for human consumption [not to feed animals, that is].
They are described as tadpole-like in appearance, with a body that is mostly a broad head with a large mouth and a narrow, tapering body. * * * Female monkfish grow larger and live longer than male monkfish. Females live to at least 13 years and grow to more than 4½ feet long, while males only live about 7 years and grow to almost 3 feet long")
(iv) "kanimiso (a grey/green paste of crab brains"
(A) The kanimiso カニ味噌 (not brain) is carb's digestive glands 消化腺 (which secrete enzymes), whose counterpart in humans are liver and pancreas.
(B) Thomas Shirley and Zac Hoyt (University of Alaska, Fairbanks), Crab Brains. Ocean Explorer, NOAA, June 27, 2002
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/e ... gs/jun27/jun27.html
("The nervous system of a crab differs from that of vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish, etc) in that it has a dorsal ganglion (brain) and a ventral ganglion. The two nervous centers are connected by a circumesophageal ganglion, i.e., it circles the esophagus. The dorsal brain is located between the eyes and near the anterior end. The ventral ganglion is located beneath the internal organs, between the legs. The brain is tiny, smaller than the point of a pencil, while the ventral ganglion is huge by comparison. The ventral ganglion provides nerves to each walking leg and all of their sensory organs, while the brain processes sensory input from the eyes")
(C) schematic:

Eric H Chudler, PhD, Invertebrate Nervous System. University of Washington, undated
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/invert.html
("The crab has a condensed central nervous system consisting of several ganglia")

Comparative anatomy and physiology. Crab.
https://www.alamy.com/comparativ ... image232681007.html
(v) shiso  紫蘇
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiso
(section 5 Culinary use. section 5.1 East Asia [China not mentioned; not used in Taiwan food], section 5.1.1 Japan: Green shiso * * * is used to garnish noodle dishes)
(vi)
(A) Liz Provasi (college student at Univ Nevada, Reno), Keeping Face. 16, 2012
https://lizprovasi.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/keeping-face/
("In many cultures, such as Asian and Arabic, there is an important concept called keeping face. This means that in social situations, it is important for each person to maintain respect and dignity from those they are interacting with")

But it did not say what keeping face was.
(B) Anthony K Steward, Chinese Business Culture, the Role of Face – Succeeding in China. China Internship Placement (CIP), Jan 25, 2018
https://www.chinainternshipplace ... ulture-face-factor/
("The Concept of Face 面子 is so significant for all intending to do business with Chinese. * * * In the English expression 'saving face,' the 'face' we're talking about here isn't a literal face. Rather, it's a metaphor for a person's reputation amongst their peers. * * * Common Expressions Involving 'Face' [in Chinese, which is sectional heading:] 1、Having face 有面子 * * * 2、Not having face 没面子 * * * 3、Giving face 给面子 * * * 4、Keeping face 留面子  : Respect someone's position and do not do things which can make them not have a good social standing. 4、Losing face 丢脸 * * * 5、Not wanting face 不要脸 * * * ")

So saving face is an English expression, while Keeping face, Chinese.


(d)
(i) "Tempura[:] This is recommended, especially for shirako noobs"

noob (n; etymology: early 21st century from newbie)
https://www.lexico.com/definition/noob
(ii) "Raw[:] At the other end of the spectrum, shirako ponzu is for those who want a more straight-up sperm-eating experience, as was my introduction to the delicacy. It generally comes served with grated daikon, ponzu (a citrus and soy sauce dressing) and spring onion."

daikon  ダイコン  大根
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ダイコン
(photo)
(iii) "Gunkanmaki (battleship sushi) is the variety made up of a pressed rice ball wrapped with nori to make a little 'ship,' and then topped with various ingredients."

軍艦巻
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/軍艦巻
(section 2 ギャラリー [Gallery:] * * * たら白子軍艦巻 [tara たら (鱈) cod], コーン [corn, which is maize] 軍艦巻 * * * )
(iv) "Nabe (hotpot)"

The nabe is Japanese pronunciation for kanji 鍋, literally a pot. What the author means is "鍋物" defined as "stew; food cooked in a pot. In Japanese, however, 鍋物 (everything cooked in a pot at the same time in kitchen, not on dining room table) is not hotpot 鋤焼 (so called because it was cooked in a plow 鋤, in Japan anyway).
(v) "Yakimono 焼物 (grilled)"
(vi) "Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸 (egg custard)[:] Mushi 蒸 is 'steamed,' chawan 茶碗 is 'a tea cup.' "