Kuro Awabi
Imported Awabi(abalone) comes to Japan from Australia and Canada, but the flavor isn’t as good as domestically produced abalone. In conveyor belt sushi, Barnacle Rock-shell and Red abalone are sometimes used to imitate Kuro-awabi (Japanese abalone).

The four types of abalone eaten in Japan include Japanese abalone (), disk abalone (雌), ezo abalone (夷) and giant abalone (真高). Japanese abalone and ezo abalone are good raw while giant abalone and disk abalone can be enjoyed steamed. The chewy texture of raw abalone is from the scleroproteins collagen and elastin. Steaming it with sake softens the collagen into gelatin, softening the texture as well.