Kamenote literally means “hands of turtles.” No worries, we do not eat the real hands

kamenote

Kamenote is a shell creature that lives between rocks in seas where the water is very rough. It looks like a turtle hand which has sharp, hard shells on the tips and rough skin. They are boiled in hot salt water. A piece of kamenote is torn into two pieces, then the meat of the shell pops out. The meat is salty and tastes like shrimp.

Kamenote is called “percebe” in Spain. It is a luxurious and expensive food there because fishermen jump into a nasty ocean, grab rocks and catch them. I felt so strange when my friend from Spain was excited to eat kamenote as even some Japanese people do not like them because of its unique appearance.