They were eagerly counting down the days until the November 6 lifting of the ban on crab dishes, one of the most extravagant winter delicacies, to enjoy the luxury of the crab.

This year, for the first time in several years, I visited Hashidate Port to eat “Hashidate Port Brand Crab,” which is caught in a port about an hour’s drive from Kanazawa in Hokuriku.

Kano-gani,” which has become a brand-name crab from Hashidate Port, is caught in waters several dozen kilometers from the Sea of Japan.

Therefore, even if a ship leaves at night, it can return the next day during the daytime, so the auction starts in the evening instead of early in the morning.

The freshly caught crabs were served at Yamamoto-ya, a guest house right next to Hashidate Port.

The waters near Hashidate are sandy, not muddy, so mud does not accumulate in the shells, and the cold and warm currents in these waters collide, attracting plankton rich in nutrients and producing very high quality Kanou crabs.

Therefore, the Kanou crab from Hashidate Port is said by local fishermen to be the best snow crab in Japan.

In particular, the female snow crab “Kabako crab” is extremely valuable. When the shell is opened, the red, ruby-like inner eggs (ovaries) have an irresistible texture and taste.

The rich crab miso is also agonizingly delicious!

I also had a chance to taste “crab sashimi,” which is only available when the crab is fresh!

When the crab was taken out of its shell and dipped in ice water, the fibers broke off and fell apart, and I had the luxury of tasting “Hanasaki crab like a white flower blooming” in my mouth.

As soon as you put it in your mouth, it feels like it is melting at high speed! And the sweet and delicious taste remains in your mouth.

Delicious!

And “boiled crab” is just a simple way to eat, the most delicious way to eat…

The “grilled crab” that followed filled the room with a savory smell, and it was a moment of indescribable ecstasy.

The crab meat was grilled so that the flavor of the crab meat would not escape from the crab, and we enjoyed it in the wild.

The juices overflowing from the crab meat and the sake were a perfect duet. (Unfortunately, I had to give up sake because I was driving.)

I was very happy to be able to fully enjoy the rich miso flavor and the resilient crab meat!

It was a very happy day, having enjoyed the very tasty “snow crab from Hashidate Port” again this year.

Thank you! Thank you! It was the best!