イクラ
いくら
noun
salmon roe
1.
salmon roe, salmon caviar
Individual eggs of salmon, typically marinated in soy sauce or salt. A popular sushi topping and rice bowl ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
イクラ丼を注文した。
I ordered a salmon roe rice bowl.
回転ずしでは、イクラは子どもにも人気がある。
At conveyor belt sushi, salmon roe is popular even with children.
北海道で食べた醤油づけのイクラは、プチプチとした食感がたまらなかった。
The soy-marinated salmon roe I ate in Hokkaido had an irresistible popping texture.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Russian "икра" (ikra), meaning fish roe. The word entered Japanese through contact with Russia, particularly via Hokkaido.
USAGE:
イクラ specifically refers to salmon roe that has been separated into individual eggs. The roe sac still in its membrane is called すじこ (筋子). イクラ is a staple of Japanese sushi and 海鮮丼 (seafood rice bowls), especially in Hokkaido.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- イクラ丼: salmon roe rice bowl
- イクラの醤油づけ: soy-marinated salmon roe
- イクラの軍艦巻き: salmon roe battleship sushi
- イクラがプチプチする: roe pops (texture description)