Sapporo Central Wholesale Market [Outside Market]: Local Recommendations and Shopping Tips! - Part 3 Hokkaido Lab ~A Hokkaido Travel Guide to Enjoy Gourmet Food, Nature, and Culture~

Sapporo Central Wholesale Market [Outside Market]: Local Residents' Recommended Shops and Smart Shopping Tips!

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: Last updated: September 5, 2018

Table of contents

　 1st place: King crab

　2nd place: "Hairy crab"

　3rd place: "Ikura" (salmon roe)

6. Tips for choosing the right crab!

　King crab

　"Hairy crab"

5. Top 3 Popular Seafood Products You'll Want to Buy

1st place: King crab

Truly the king of crabs! Number one in both popularity and quality!

Outer market King crab 1

With its generous portion size and satisfying texture, this highly sought-after ingredient has become increasingly rare since 2013, and its price has skyrocketed.
While you can buy king crab anytime in Hokkaido, the best time to buy high-quality Japanese king crab is during the following periods.

April-May: This is considered the peak season for king crab because its sweetness intensifies after the sea in the Sea of Okhotsk opens up.
November-February: After molting, the shells are completely hardened, resulting in the best meat content, so this period is also considered the peak season.

2nd place: "Hairy crab"

Of course, crab lovers will choose freshly boiled hairy crab!

Outer market hairy crab

The deep sweetness of the meat and the rich, creamy crab miso are appealing features not found in king crab or snow crab.
The fishing season and location change depending on the season: the Sea of Okhotsk in spring, Uchiura Bay in summer, the Kushiro coast in autumn, and the Tokachi coast in winter.

When purchasing, it's a good idea to consider the time of year and pay attention to the origin, such as whether it's from the Okhotsk region or Kushiro.

3rd place: "Ikura" (salmon roe)

As you know! Proud of its taste! Hokkaido salmon roe has a different kind of shine.

Outer market salmon roe 2

Ikura (salmon roe) made with carefully selected eggs has almost no skin left when you eat it.
Even people who dislike salmon roe might come to like it if they try the real thing.
When I got home, my whole family and I had salmon roe rice bowls!
Everyone loves it because it goes so well with rice. It makes a great souvenir.

It's a popular and recommended ingredient year-round, but its peak season is September to October.

6. Tips for choosing the right crab!

I learned this from Masayuki Takatsu of Nichikai Co., Ltd., the second store of the outer market.

Takatsu-san at the Outer Market

The timing after boiling is crucial for crab, and here at Nikai, they boil live crabs right before shipping.
The tank is full of lively crabs. By the way, live crabs aren't red before they're boiled!

King crab

The key is to choose something that feels "heavy" and substantial when you hold it.
• Crabs that have just molted are not good, so check the following points.
The shell is hard, the white part of the legs is not a light, translucent color, the shell is dirty, and there are barnacles on it.
All of the above are signs that some time has passed since molting.

"Hairy crab"

The best part of hairy crab is definitely the crab miso!
Choose a crab with a good balance of crab miso and meat!
Bigger isn't always better; 500g to 600g seems to be the most balanced.
Weight is more important than size, so choose one with a hard shell, just like with king crab.

Next page 7. These are the top 3 popular agricultural products you'll want to buy.