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Sea Squirt

Sea squirt is a marine tunicate eaten as a seafood delicacy, often served raw or cooked in regional preparations.

Sea Squirt — illustrative ingredient image

About Sea Squirt

Sea squirt is an edible marine tunicate with a tough outer test surrounding a small, moist body. It is sold fresh or cleaned from its outer covering, and its appearance can range from rounded and translucent to brightly coloured depending on the species. The edible portion is usually compact rather than meaty.

Its flavour is strongly marine, often described as briny or mineral-like, with a tender, juicy, and sometimes slightly crunchy texture. Sea squirt may be eaten raw when handled for that purpose, or cooked in regional seafood preparations.

Removing the outer covering changes the product from a tough, rounded or translucent animal to a compact edible body. It may be served raw when handled for that purpose, or incorporated into rice, stews, and other cooked dishes, where preparation changes its firmness and presentation.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where sea squirt appears

2 linked foods

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Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for sea squirt

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Sea Squirt

English

Common sea squirt, Farm-raised, Raw

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Common sea squirt, Seasoned, Salt-fermented

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Common sea squirt, Wild, Raw

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Sea Squirt nutrition & diet

Sea Squirt nutritional value

Sea squirt*, raw ［*Syn. Ascidian］ — MEXT 10374

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the explicitly named reference form.

Calories
27kcal
Protein
5.0g
Carbs
0.8g
Fat
0.8g

Per 100 g edible portion. Values use MEXT 2023 with March 2026 corrections; the English food name is matched by food code from the official English edition. Carbohydrate is total carbohydrate by difference. Values in parentheses in the source are estimates reported by MEXT. This reference does not cover other preparations or brands.

Portions & preparation

Establish the exact tunicate species and edible preparation before using a reference, because regional products may differ in cleaning, salting, curing, or cooking. Match the portion actually eaten, excluding tunic or discarded material when applicable. Raw, cooked, and preserved forms should not be treated as interchangeable.

Compare the right form: Match the identified sea-squirt species and edible inner portion in its exact raw, cooked, salted, cured, or otherwise preserved form.

Diet considerations

Sea squirt is an animal-derived marine tunicate and does not fit vegetarian or vegan patterns. Compatibility changes with curing liquids, marinades, batter, sauces, or mixed seafood preparations, which may add cereals, eggs, dairy, or other animal ingredients. Establish species and processing before assessing the dish.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2023 supplement, corrected March 2026 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .