[100% self-narrated version] This time I'm going to cook Beni-Zuwai-Gani crab (Japanese), red snow crab. Red snow crab is a kind of cheap crab in Japan, but if you try it, you will find that it is delicious.
Surprisingly, in the past, red snow crabs were unknown, perhaps because they live in deep sea*.
[How did we find the crab?]
It was an American scientist who first found it. The first finding was recorded in 1932. In 1906, the first American fisheries research vessel Albatross** explored the Sea of Japan. Mary Jane Rathbun***, an American marine zoologist aboard the ship, found a crab, now known as the red snow crab now, at a depth of 960 meters off the Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. The Japanese name was given by Koji Yamamoto to an individual caught off Tajima in 1950.
Scientific name of the red snow crab****
Chionoecetes japonicus Rathbun
[How to catch?]
The fishery is a kagokani fishery, in which baskets are placed on the seabed. The basket is filled with fish food, which the crabs eat. The reason for the low price is that crabs are caught in large quantities.
[How do we protect the crab resource?*****]
Recently, however, the catch has been decreasing. Crab fishing is a licensed fishery, and there are many attempts to protect the red snow crab resource, such as creating holes like this in the net for the trap cages to allow small crabs to escape, banning the harvest of female crabs, and agreements with other countries.
Now that we know the historical background, so let's move on to the kitchen.
[RECIPE1: Red Snow Crab]
1. Wash the crab
The surface of the crab is covered with bacteria, such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, so it is washed well. Food poisoning of the bacteria has been dramatically reduced in Japan by consistently maintaining low temperatures from catch in the sea to consumption at the table.
2. BoilRed snow crabs are red even before they are cooked, as you can clearly see when you look at the ventral side like this.
Boil the crab in salted water. The salt content is 3-4%. In this case, 66 grams of salt were added to 2 liters of water (3.3%).
Boil the crab with the shell side down so that the crab ingredient in the shell does not come out.
Cover with a drip lid.
Boil crab in salted water for 15-20 minutes. When done, chill the crab quickly in ice water to firm the crab meat. The crab is ready to cook.
3. Cut
First, remove the shell. Next, remove the gills. This is the crab's breathing organ, so it is not edible because it is full of dirt and bacteria from the outside. Use a Deba knife to cut the crab in half.
Remove the legs first.
Unlike Matsuba-gani, snow crab, the meat of the red snow crab becomes thinner when boiled.
To make it easier to eat, shave the shell off the crab leg. This shaving process cuts the crab leg as it is, so it looks nice. The claw part is hard, so be careful not to cut your hand while cutting. Cutting the crab this way makes it easier to eat. Cut the base of the legs in half to make the meat easier to eat. Arrange the crab on a plate to complete the dish.
[RECIPE2: Red Snow Crab Miso Soup]
1. Fry crab shells
2. Add 100ml of water and Japanese SAKE
3. Filtrate the mixture for snow crab soup
4. Add vegetables, such as carrot and daikon radish
5. Boil 20 min
6. Add miso
7. Add green onion for the topping
It is delicious to eat the crab because of the salty flavor.
[Table of contents]
0:00 Today's dish
0:45 How did we find red snow crab (Beni-zuwai gani)
1:25 How to catch red snow crab
2:24 Wash
2:53 Boil
3:44 Cut
5:18 Presentation: red snow crab
5:39 Red snow crab miso soup
7:02 My failure: Ruining the soup and the pot
7:17 Comparison table between red snow crab & snow crab
7:28 Ending
[References]
*Deep Sea
The oceans that are deeper than 200 meters are referred to as the deep sea.
**ALBATROSS
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/r-v-albatross-i-1882-1921
***Mary Jane Rathbun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_J._Rathbun
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Jane-Rathbun
****Scientific name of the red snow crab
https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=japonicus+Rathbun
*****Japan Sea Offshore Red Snow Crab Stock Recovery Plan (Japanese)
日本海沖合ベニズワイガニ資源回復計画
https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/sakaiminato/sigen/pdf/beni_keikaku.pdf
Food Data Kan (Japanese): Catch of red snow crab
食品データ館 紅ズワイガニの漁獲量
https://urahyoji.com/catch-benizuwaigani-d/
Thank you for watching.
See you next week.
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Japanese Home Cooking Channel by Take-san
https://www.youtube.com/@louise_cooking
Sister site Louise and Azz, sometimes Lili
https://www.youtube.com/@louisecoach
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