Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2010 post is kept below.
The fish that stares back
The video below shows ikizukuri, Japanese for roughly “prepared alive”. A live fish is taken from the tank, quickly filleted into sashimi, and the slices are served arranged on the body, which can still twitch. It’s a dramatic way to show that dinner could not possibly be fresher.
The practice is controversial, mainly because of concerns about the fish’s suffering, and it’s far from everyday sushi. Most Japanese sushi bars serve their fish the boring, peaceful way, which is how we’d like ours too.
A close relative is odorigui, “dancing eating”, where tiny seafood such as baby ice fish is swallowed while it’s still wriggling. The name sounds like a party. The fish would probably disagree.
If you want to see a similar dish: a really fresh serving of sushi, or browse all the Weird Eats.
