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Roe & uni (gunkanmaki)
Loose, delicate toppings cradled in a nori "battleship" wrap — salmon roe, sea urchin, flying-fish roe.
Ikura
Ikura is salmon roe — large, glossy orange pearls that burst with briny richness, served as gunkanmaki. The name is borrowed from the Russian word for roe.
数の子 kazunokoKazunoko
Kazunoko is herring roe — a firm golden block of tiny eggs with a signature crackling crunch, salt-cured then steeped in dashi. An auspicious New Year's delicacy.
真砂 masagoMasago
Masago is capelin (smelt) roe — smaller, softer and cheaper than tobiko, and the roe most often substituted for it. Mild, faintly bitter, usually dyed orange.
飛子 tobikoTobiko
Tobiko is flying-fish roe — the tiny, crunchy orange beads on the outside of rolls. Mild and smoky-sweet, and often tinted: wasabi green, squid-ink black, yuzu gold.
雲丹 uniUni
Uni is sea urchin — the sweet, briny, custard-rich gonad served raw as gunkanmaki. Quality ranges wildly, and that gap is the whole game.