Prawn and crab
Snow crab (Zuwaigani)
【Nigiri sushi: Ebi/Kani】
Zuwaigani lives in the Japan Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. The shells of males are about 15cm in width, and the females’ shells are 7 to 8cm wide. The names of these crabs differ depending on the region. Males are called Matsuba-gani or Echizen-gani while females are called Seiko-gani or Kobako-gani.
Since Zuwaigani is not a regular Edomae sushi material, it isn’t always chosen by the sushi chef. The leg part of male crab is preferred as sushi ingredient because it has a fine texture and a distinctive sweet taste.
Zuwaigani contains high levels of free amino acids. There are sweet taste components in glycine or alanine, umami taste components in glutamic acid, and bitter taste components in arginine. Because all these are balanced well, they produce such a unique delicious taste.
Main production area
Hyougo Tottori Ishikawa Fukui
Famous production area
Season
Winter