RED KING CRAB vs. HANASAKI CRAB!! Big Japanese Food in Hokkaido, Japan!

Subtitles section Play video

- Hey everyone I hope you're having
an amazing day it's Mark Wiens,
I'm in Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan.
And of course Japan is known for seafood but Hokkaido
is known within Japan for seafood.
So this morning we are going to the Sapporo
fish market, the main market.
We're gonna buy a bunch of seafood, hopefully eat some crab.
Crab is very well known in Hokkaido as well,
especially in the winter time and yeah it is a cold morning
but I am ready to eat some seafood
and we're walking to the market right now.
(soft house music)
It's like a 10 minute walk from the subway station
but this is the beginning of the outer market.
There's a couple of very very famous restaurants, seafood
restaurants, Hokkaido seafood restaurants in this area.
It's just the morning now but already
starting to get kinda busy.
♪ Yeah I don't want, she got a point ♪
- Oh, it's getting really cold but to my understanding
the whole sale market is, it's actually
on the other side of the road,
but that's not really open to the public and that really
takes place early in the morning or even late at night.
But so then right now we're in the outer market,
which is the retail part of the market.
Where you can come, where you can shop for food,
where you can shop for fish and seafood and crabs.
And then they also have restaurants here as well.
All of a sudden it's starting to snow.
Okay I think we need to eat a, we need to order a crab ASAP.
(water splashing)
- Do you have Hanasaki also? - Hanasaki!
- That one is Hanasaki. - Hanasaki.
- [Mark] What is the season now, Hanasaki's season?
- Hanasaki. - Oh this one is Hanasaki.
- [Mark] Hanasaki.
- One kilo, one kilo. - 1.7 kilos.
Okay.
Yeah like that one, that one is like three kilo?
- Big size. - Big size.
- Okay, yeah. - Okay?
- [Mark] How many kilo is it?
(speaking in foreign language)
- 34,000.
- Steam, grill.
Hot, hot okay. - All steam grilled?
- Uh-hum. - Okay.
(woman speaking in foreign language)
Putting on the yellow gloves.
- [Woman] You okay?
- [Mark] I think so, thank you.
I don't like this, oh okay.
I couldn't decide between the King crab and Hanasaki crab
so we decided to get them both.
(soft house music)
(speaking in foreign language)
(laughing)
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Mark] Oh this is the Hanasaki boiled yeah?
- Hanasaki boiled, yeah.
(all speaking in foreign language)
- My lens is all fogging up,
but the two different crabs the Hanasaki
is gonna be completely boiled, and then
the King crab is going to be half boiled half grilled
but I think it fully goes boiled first.
Oh that is, this is an aroma therapy spa session,
I love crab spa session.
(water boiling)
(soft house music)
(both speaking in foreign language)
For the Red King crab we're gonna get it
two different ways, half boiled, half grilled.
But he first pre-blanched it, just for a few minutes
so they can cut it in half, half of it he threw back
into the boiling caldron into the boiling sink of water
and then the other half is gonna go
on the grill and two different ways.
The King crab is ready they're chopping it up
and I think the Hanasaki crab
should be ready very, very soon.
(speaking in foreign language)
(laughing)
Okay.
(soft house music)
The Hanasaki crab is ready
actually that took a while to boil
at least like 20 minutes to boil.
It's so steaming, so hot, so fresh.
(both speaking in foreign language)
(crab crunching)
- Hanasaki. - Hanasaki.
(man speaking in foreign language)
(soft house music)
- The Hanasaki crab is actually extremely medium.
The eggs are just sprouting and the roe and the meat
and then they beautifully played it
they cut everything with the scissors
so that all the shell, they free the meat!
(speaking in foreign language)
Oh yeah it's a lot warmer in here
and the crabs are ready, both of them.
(soft house music)
Alright sitting down, we got the one that
they just finished peeling that's hot
out of the boiler, this is the Hanasaki crab.
The color, the brightness, the orange and reds, the spikes
the eggs just sprouting in the roe.
Actually the yellow is the roe, I don't even know what is
is that like two roes I'm not even sure.
Then this is the King crab which is
cooked two different ways both boiled and grilled.
The crab aroma, the colors, it's vibrant, it's beautiful.
Both of these crabs are delicacies in Japan,
both of them are from Japan from the seas especially
the Red King crab is famous in the winter
because the meat is the fullest.
And then the Hanasaki crab I think is also,
there's different seasons but definitely
the winter is one of the best seasons in Japan for crab
and it is definitely the middle of the winter.
Okay I think we have to start with
the Hanasaki crab since this one is fresh.
This one is right out of the steamer.
I don't even know how to begin (laughs).
We got the legs, you've got the body there.
That body looks amazing you can see
the different textures in there.
I guess we just start with the body
and yeah they scissor cut everything.
It just lifts up like a lid, oh look at that.
Oh look at that.
That's packed with meat and that's pretty sharp too.
Oh wow that's a nugget, first bite ever of Hanasaki crab.
You can just smell the crabby aroma.
(giggles) oh wow.
That flavor is like so sweet and
this hint of complex bitterness.
Slightly salty I don't know if it's boiled in salt water.
The texture of that meat and like the sweet,
wow that's unbelievable, the freshness
that is firm, that's extraordinary!
(giggles) What I love about it too,
there's absolutely nothing on it just straight boiled
perhaps in salt water I'm not totally sure.
But that is so flavorful, so good on its own,
such an amazing product that you do not need anything.
(people speaking in foreign language)
Happy birthday Cobb.
(giggles)
I wanna immediately taste the Red King crab after that
just to taste the difference of
the meat, so I'll grab a leg.
(laughs) And Red King crab I have had before
but I don't think I've ever had it this fresh,
being able to choose my (gasps).
Oh look at that (giggles) oh wow.
That is just thick with meat and what I read
is that during this season, it's some of the meatiest
Red crab that you'll ever have.
(soft house music)
Look at that, that's just pure King crab.
(soft house music)
(chuckles) Wow.
That is another speechless, that is stunning.
It's so sweet, it's so juicy, okay,
and that's awesome to be able to
taste both right back to back because
you really taste the difference between the two crabs.
Of course they are both crab but the Hanasaki has
more of like a bitter complexity to it
with a really really vibrant crab flavor.
The Red King crab is a little more
sweet and definitely a lot more juicy.
(soft house music)
Again you do not need anything on that.
That is the purest, the sweet juiciness is remarkable.
Okay I'm gonna move back over to the Hanasaki now
and I wanna try that floral formation.
I think that's from the body section
but that's the meat body section as opposed to the roe yet.
Check this out it's like a glove, oh it's juicy!
I think you can just kinda scoot it with your finger.
Oh yes there's so much meat in here.
Okay back to the Hanasaki crab, I can definitely taste
that the Red King crab is sweeter in flavor.
Okay they're both good, so unbelievably good.
(people speaking in foreign language)
This is some of the Hanasaki crab roe.
That's a chicken nugget sized chunk.
Wow (giggles) that's so rich, kinda yolky,
like dry in a good kinda way.
That's like almost as much as you
possibly wanna take in a single bite
only because it is such a rich mouthful.
This one is the other roe and I'm actually
not sure what it is but we'll try that next
from the Hanasaki crab.
Oh that's kinda awesome that's got
burst with salty juiciness, kinda like fish roe.
Almost like poppy seeds you can feel
them squishing between your teeth.
Oh I just got crab juiced.
There's not really any roe in the Red King crab but
we do have the claws and then the knuckles.
Actually the knuckles are some of the best meat.
Look at that boneless shelless nugget.
And one of the best things about eating huge
crabs like this, the Red King crab especially,
is just how meaty it is and how like
easy it is to eat.
They chop it with scissors but then
the meat just slides out just huge chunks.
It is so sweet, maybe it's a little more firm
than the actual legs but the texture
of the knuckle, it's superb.
Next up for the Hanasaki crab claw,
let's see how to navigate this guy.
Oh yeah it is kinda spiky, oh that just comes apart.
You do wanna be careful not to stab yourself on
this Hanasaki crab claw.
That reveals the meat, I think you can do just kinda
pull it out with your finger.
Okay that was not a clean pull out but that's okay.
The claw is like so firm and then
it's not stringy but more flakey.
Even the inside of that crab is completely orange,
even the little spikes are intact.
They go into the mold, the shell
is like the mold of all the meat.
Hello guy, I'm gonna try that interior,
it's like the head lining which they've already scooped out
I don't know what it is there's a combination of,
oh yeah look at that chunk.
This is like a combination of head lining
plus roe plus like tangly bits.
It's like helmet lining.
A little bit bitter, we got the roe in there, the rich roe
and then yeah kinda like slightly totally different texture.
This is one I haven't tried yet,
the grilled Red King crab leg.
This is one of the greatest parts, just
opening it up, just to reveal nuggets.
Oh beautiful, again, absolutely spectacular.
And I'll just slide my finger down there.
(soft house music)
What a meal, what a crab meal!
I think that was just the right amount of crab,
we shared with five, there's five
of us that ate those crabs.
But that was spectacular, I don't know if I've ever
had an entire meal of crab with nothing, no condiments,
nothing extra on on it.
I didn't even feel like I wanted to use anything extra
on it, it was that good.
Hanasaki you were delicious and thank you King crab.
To give you an honest opinion, both are incredibly good
and have like different taste, different flavor profiles,
but if I were to just chose one
I think I would go with the Red King crab.
Yeah it is not called the king of crabs without a reason.
It's so juicy, so sweet, so fresh.
But this is a really good place,
they're really friendly here.
I paid 34,000 yen for both of the crabs.
Which, let me just do the conversion, that's a little
over 300 US dollars for both the crabs.
Which I think it was a splurge but really,
it's so fresh, it's so good, they're so nice
and that fed five of us.
(soft house music)
(people speaking in foreign language)
Not only do they have seafood here
but also fruits and vegetables
and this market is well known for their melons.
Unfortunately it's not melon season,
but they do have melons year round and
Japanese melons are some of the most premium
melons in the entire world so I got a slice.
(soft house music)
Oh it's cold, oh it's juicy.
Oh wow okay yeah.
That is a perfect thing after you eat a bunch of crab.
It's so juicy, it's so refreshing
and that's like icy cold from being outside.
All the juiciness!
It's like sweet but like a harmony of sweetness.
(soft house music)
It's really good but really cold.
Oh yeah that melon was so juicy that it made
my hand all wet and now my hand is like frozen.
Okay the next place that we're gonna go,
I think we're gonna step into,
it's one of the most famous places but
it really is a legendary place
and even though it attracts tourist buses,
that's the same place that we saw right as we entered.
They really do say it has amazing incredibly fresh seafood
and it's an iconic seafood restaurant
of Hokkaido of Sapporo.
(yelling in foreign language)
(water running)
(soft house music)
An entire seafood market.
On the bottom floor they have a lot of live seafood.
They have more crabs they have basically everything.
Then on the top floor is a dining room where you can
order food so I think we're gonna
go straight for the dining room.
We ate the crabs in the morning but
now it's just about lunch time so there is a line.
I wanna eat here because it's such a legendary place
and the seafood does look incredibly fresh
and people say good things about this place.
Everything is so organized, the staff are friendly,
it's like a happy seafood palace.
Okay the wait was not that long
that was just like a 10 minute wait, we got a table.
Check out this menu, wait there's another one.
What a beautiful, beautiful laminated menu
with all the different bowls they offer
and many what people come here to eat are the different
selection of Donburi rice bowls topped with seafood.
(soft house music)
Every time I see a rice bowl like this
Japanese style and they have different
varieties of seafood, the colors,
it just looks like a blooming flower
and I love the way it's displayed.
It's not only delicious but beautiful to look at.
Another thing is when you pick it up,
you can feel that the seafood is cold
but then you can feel on the
bottom how the rice is still warm.
So that's another thing about this is
the contrast of temperatures in your mouth at the same time.
And I think maybe I'll take off my,
should I take off my hat?
No I should no take off my hat for this meal.
I think it's okay to leave your hat on here,
I see other people with their hats on too.
What to begin with that is always the main question.
I think I will start with the salmon eggs,
they're just glistening and calling my name.
And I'm gonna reach down, they gotta be eaten
with a lot of rice, a good ratio.
(giggles)
Yeah I love the contrast of temperatures,
the cool seafood with the warm rice.
The rice is sticky and gooey and then those salmon eggs
just pop with that briny liquid.
On to the middle and then I'll just add a little bit of this
to each bite, I'm going for the uni next.
(soft house music)
Oh wow it's so sweet just with
that wonderful nuttiness, salmon is next.
These ones are scallops!
Scallop is awesome, so soft, so sweet, not slimy at all.
But that wasabi went up my nose a little bit, I love it.
Revolving around again, oh yes it's time for the tuna.
Slightly warm, so pure just like butter all the way through.
I'm not totally sure what this is
maybe some kind of surf clam.
Oh yeah it has a crunch to it,
gonna follow that with some rice.
And then finally, this is squid maybe, squid?
Slightly slimy but it chews and you can taste the sweetness
coming out of it with every bite.
Okay and then finally the crab,
I haven't had any crab yet today.
(soft house music)
I like it both with the soy sauce and without.
It does definitely enhances the raw seafood but again
the freshness, the sweetness of the
natural seafood is what stands out
and you really don't need anything.
(soft electronic music)
And then finally for my last bite.
It's a raw shrimp and you can just see the transparency.
You can almost see how, yeah it's gonna be sweet.
I always leave the shrimp for the end, that is sharp.
Oh wow!
Okay that might be the best bite of the entire bowl.
So sweet, the texture is almost like sticky and gummy.
That's just tasty, that is awesomely,
awesomely fresh and just so sweet.
(soft house music)
What amazed me is how friendly that market is
and it's like low-key, it's friendly, people are nice,
the seafood is so fresh, so vibrant, so colorful.
The colors just pop!
This is the place to come in Sapporo
for crab and for amazing seafood.
And really, yeah.
When you're in Sapporo, when you visit Sapporo,
it is a must visit place if you love to eat.
I wanna say a huge thank you for watching this video,
please remember to give it a thumbs up
if you enjoyed it, leave a comment below.
I'd love to hear from you and if you're not already
subscribed click subscribe now and also click the little
bell icon so that you get notified
of the next video that I publish.
Thanks again for watching, goodbye from cold
winter Sapporo and I will see you on the next video.