Japanese cuisine - what do pickled starfish taste like?

For one of my stories I need to know what pickled starfish are like, in terms of taste, texture, etc. Unfortunately it really does need to be starfish, no other seafood works for this story, and since I tend to have seafood allergies I can't try it myself. I know that several people on my friends list have been to Japan and/or are foodies, so can anyone help with this?