To prepare the dish, chefs at Ikkatei Tabiji, in Hakodate, Japan, first remove the head of the squid before serving the body, with tentacles intact, over a bowl of sushi rice.
Seasoned soy sauce is then poured over it.
As the squid is served so fresh, when the sauce is added signals across nerve cell membranes are re-activated temporarily, making it "come back to life".
The body is then removed and prepared by the chef to be served as a side accompaniment.
The meal, which has proving popular with diners, costs around ¥2,000 or NZ$30.
The dish is such a success that the restaurant have patented the name of the creation.
Now other restaurants in the area have begun making their own versions of the Hakodate dish, under different names.
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- Daily Mail, nzherald.co.nz