How to Prepare and Serve Ise Ebi Sashimi at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide

For special occasions like New Year’s celebrations or anniversaries, Ise ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) is the perfect gourmet item to order! These days, some specialty vendors even deliver live Ise ebi straight to your doorstep. In this guide, with the cooperation of the online seafood store Umi no Umaimon Dori, we’ll show you how to prepare and enjoy live Ise ebi at home.

【Advised by】Umi no Umaimon Dori

Table of Contents

1 Let’s Start with the Preparation
2 Chill the Lobster in Ice Water
3 Drain the Blood
4 Separate the Head from the Body
5 Extract the Meat from the Body
6 Slice and Plate
7 Use the Head for Miso Soup

Let’s Start with the Preparation

This time, we’ll show you how to prepare and enjoy live Japanese spiny lobster (Ise-ebi) sashimi at home.
First, prepare the necessary tools: a small deba knife, kitchen scissors, a large spoon, a cutting board, a bowl, and a large serving plate. Also, wearing gloves will help prevent cuts from the lobster’s sharp shell.

Chill the Lobster in Ice Water

Live Japanese spiny lobster typically arrives wrapped in sawdust like this.

Once you take it out, you’ll be surprised how lively it is! There’s no way to handle it like this.

So first, place the lobster into a bowl of ice water to calm it down. After about 5 minutes, it will settle. As you prepare to handle it, you might start to find it a little cute.

Drain the Blood

Now the lobster has calmed down in the ice water.

However, even after this, a lively lobster may still squirm. Insert your knife into the triangular section on the underside—this is said to be the vital spot. Firmly press the tip of the deba knife in—it should slide in naturally. It seems painful… sorry, little guy.

If you’re eating the lobster as sashimi, it’s a good idea to drain the blood first. The dark liquid dripping from the tail is the blood.

Next, use kitchen scissors to cut off the lobster’s iconic antennae.

The lobster on the cutting board looks like an alien from a sci-fi show.

Separate the Head from the Body

Start by separating the head and body. Insert the tip of the knife into the joint between the head and body and rotate it around. This cuts the membrane connecting them.

Hold the head with your left hand and twist the body with your right hand to cleanly separate them.

Just like that—it’s surprisingly easy even for a first-timer.

Extract the Meat from the Body

Now it’s time to extract the meat from the body for sashimi. Start by cutting off the swimmerets (small swimming legs) on the underside using kitchen scissors. The lobster starts to look like a strange creature at this point.

Next, make an incision along the soft underside of the shell.

You might want to go for the artisan feel using a deba knife, but honestly, kitchen scissors make this step much easier.

Snip right at the base of the tail as well.

Then peel back the underside shell. If it doesn’t come off easily, use a knife to assist.

Here we go! The meat is tight and looks absolutely delicious.

Use a spoon to separate the meat from the shell. Chilling the lobster well in ice water helps loosen the meat from the shell.

Be sure to remove the intestinal tract. Then chill the meat again in ice water.

Slice and Plate

Now, let’s slice the meat for sashimi.

From here, simply cut to your desired size.

It’s best to cut thick for a satisfying bite. A classic presentation is to serve the slices on the lobster shell.

What do you think? Even an amateur can pull this off!

Finish by plating everything nicely. According to the staff at “Umai Mon-dori,” placing the lobster meat on shiso leaves adds a vivid contrast of red, green, and white. Give it a try!

Use the Head for Miso Soup

Use the leftover head to make miso soup.
First, split it in half with a knife—or scissors work too.

As you can see, the tomalley is bright and rich—thanks to the lobster being freshly alive just moments ago.

Start with cold water, add the head to a pot, bring to a boil, skim off any scum, and simmer on low for about 10 minutes to extract the rich flavor.

Finish by adding the right amount of miso. No additional seasoning is necessary—the lobster broth does all the work.

Add chopped green onions for a restaurant-quality look. The taste was amazing—possibly even better than the sashimi!

I wasn’t sure if I could handle a whole lobster, but it turned out way better than expected. Using kitchen scissors really made the job easy. Try recreating this authentic restaurant-style experience at home!

【Advised by】Umi no Umaimon Dori

An online seafood store operated by Maruyoshi Co., Ltd., headquartered in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The company supplies fresh seafood such as spiny lobster and pufferfish to professional chefs at high-end establishments including traditional Japanese inns, fine-dining restaurants, and luxury hotels. Their products are renowned for exceptional freshness, allowing customers to enjoy top-tier restaurant-quality flavors right at home.