Gary,

Thanks for the information. I have been confused by the ame, ebi, sweet, raw terminology of sushi shrimp. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not.

Like mackeral in that way, as one explores sushi.

They do not look or taste raw. That is why I was comparing it to a cooked soft-shell crab. I am confessing my ignorance here.

What do they do to a shrimp to turn it into an ame-ebi?

For budgetary reasons, I am simply not able to taste-test Katsu's offerings without a good bit of advance research.

I am hoping to get my dad, who has spent a fair amount of time on an expense account in Japan and has very high standards, to introduce my nieces and nephew to Japanese cuisine to celebrate my graduation. So I want to plan the menu to please the payer:-) as well as expand the horizons of the next generation.

Either that or a new set of tires:-)

Thanks.
Ann

I don't know if it is the case at Katsu, but at other places they only serve the heads when they are smaller, and easier to eat. There's a certain point where they get too big, and it's very hard to eat, you're in danger of damaging your gums

As for being bigger, if the fish is cut right it shouldn't matter, you should not have to mangle it to eat it in more than one bite.