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

- Hello everyone, I hope you are having an amazing day. I'm Mark Wiens, I'm in Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. And of course Japan is known for its sea

food

, but Hokkaido is known within Japan for its sea

food

. So this morning we go to the Sapporo fish market, the main market. We'll buy a lot of seafood and hopefully eat some

crab

. Crab is also very well known in Hokkaido, especially in winter and yes, it is a cold morning, but I am ready for seafood and we are wal

king

to the market right now. (soft house music) It's about a 10 minute walk from the subway station, but this is the beginning of the outside market.

There are a couple of very famous restaurants, seafood restaurants, Hokkaido seafood restaurants in this area. It's already morning but it's starting to get a little busy. ♪ Yes, I don't want to, you're right ♪ - Oh, it's very cold, but as I understand it, the whole sales market is, actually, it's on the other side of the road, but it's not really open to the public and stuff. it really happens early in the morning or even late at night. But now we are in the external market, which is the retail part of the market. Where you can come, where you can buy food, where you can buy fish, seafood and

crab

s.

And they also have restaurants here. Suddenly it starts to snow. Well, I think we need to eat a crab as soon as possible. (water splashes) - Do you have Hanasaki too? - Hanasaki! - That's Hanasaki. -Hanasaki. - What's the season now, Hanasaki's season? -Hanasaki. - Oh, this is Hanasaki. -Hanasaki. - A kilo, a kilo. - 1.7 kilos. Well. Yes, like that one, that one weighs like three kilos? - Large size. - Large size. - Okay, yeah. - Well? - How many kilos are they? (spea

king

in foreign language) - 34,000. - Steam, roast. Hot, hot, okay. - Everything steamed grilled? - Uh-hum. - Well. (woman speaking in foreign language) Putting on yellow gloves. - Are you OK? - I think so, thank you.

I don't like this, oh okay. I couldn't decide between the king crab and the Hanasaki crab, so we decided to get both. (soft house music) (speaking in a foreign language) (laughs) (speaking in a foreign language) - Oh, this is the boiled Hanasaki, right? - Hanasaki boiled, yes. (everyone speaking in foreign language) - My lens is fogging up, but the two different crabs, the Hanasaki, will be fully boiled, and then the king crab will be half boiled, half roasted, but I think it is fully boiled first. Oh, I mean, this is an aromatherapy spa session, I love the crab spa session. (boiling water) (soft house music) (both speaking in foreign language) For the red king crab we will get it two different ways, half boiled and half roasted.

But first he pre-blanched it, just for a few minutes so they cut it in half, he put half back into the boiling cauldron in the sink of boiling water and then the other half will go on the grill and two different paths. The king crab is ready, they are cutting it 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, it actually took a while to boil, at least about 20 minutes. It's so steamy, so hot, so cool. (both speaking in foreign language) (crab crunch) - Hanasaki. -Hanasaki. (man speaking foreign language) (soft house music) - The Hanasaki crab is actually extremely medium-sized.

The eggs and the roe and the meat are just sprouting and then they play it beautifully, they cut everything with the scissors so that all the shell, they release the meat! (speaking in foreign language) Oh yes, it's much warmer here and the crabs are ready, both of them. (soft house music) Alright, sitting down, we have the one that they just finished peeling and that is hot from the boiler, this is the Hanasaki crab. The color, the brightness, the oranges and reds, the thorns, the eggs just emerging from the roe. Actually the yellow one is the eggs, I don't even know what it is, it's like two eggs, I'm not even sure.

So this is king crab that is cooked in two different ways: boiled and grilled. The crab aroma, the colors, it's vibrant, it's beautiful. Both crabs are delicacies in Japan, both are from Japan, from the seas, especially the red king crab, which is famous in winter because its meat is fuller. And then I think Hanasaki crab is too, there are different seasons, but winter is definitely one of the best seasons in Japan for crab and it's definitely the middle of winter. Well, I think we have to start with the Hanasaki crab since this one is fresh. This one is fresh off the steamboat.

I don't even know how to start (laughs). We have the legs, you have the body there. That body looks amazing, you can see the different textures in it. I guess we start with the body and yes, they cut everything with scissors. It just pops up like a lid, oh look at that. Oh, look at that. It is full of meat and is also quite spicy. Wow, what a nugget, first bite of Hanasaki crab. You can smell the moody aroma. (laughs) oh wow. That flavor is so sweet and this hint of complex bitterness. Slightly salty. I don't know if it is boiled in salted water.

The texture of that meat and the taste of the sweet, wow, how incredible, the freshness that is firm, how extraordinary! (laughs) What I also love about it is that there is absolutely nothing in it, it's just boiled, maybe in salt water, I'm not totally sure. But that is so tasty, so good on its own, such an amazing product that you don't need anything. (people who speak a foreign language) Happy birthday Cobb. (laughs) I want to immediately try the red king crab after that just to taste the difference in the meat, so I'll grab a leg. (laughs) And red king crab I've had before, but I don't think I've ever had it so fresh, being able to choose my (gasp).

Oh, look at that (laughs) oh wow. It's very meaty and what I read is that during this season, it's one of the meatiest red crabs you'll ever have. (soft house music) Look at that, that's pure king crab. (soft house music) (laughs) Wow. That's another speechless one, that's awesome. It's so sweet, so juicy, it's just right, and it's amazing to be able to try both one after the other because you really feel the difference between the two crabs. Of course, both are crab, but the Hanasaki has more of a bitter complexity with a really vibrant crab flavor.

Red king crab is a little sweeter and definitely much juicier. (soft house music) Again you don't need anything on that. That is the purest, the sweet juiciness is remarkable. Okay, now I'm going back to the Hanasaki and I want to try that flower formation. I think it's from the body section, but it's still the meat body section, as opposed to the roe. Look at this, it's like a glove, oh it's juicy! I think you can just swipe it with your finger. Oh yes, there is so much meat here. Okay, back to the Hanasaki crab, I can definitely feel that the Red King crab has a sweeter flavor.

Okay, they're both good, incredibly good. (people who speak a foreign language) These are some of the Hanasaki crab eggs. It is a piece the size of a chicken nugget. Wow (laughs), that's so delicious, a little yolky, kind of dry in a good way. That's almost all you could possibly want to take in one bite just because it's such a delicious bite. This is the other roe and I'm actually not sure what it is, but we'll try the next one with the Hanasaki crab. Oh, that's amazing, it's full of salty juiciness, like fish roe. Almost like poppy seeds, you can feel them crush between your teeth.

Oh, I just made crab juice. There are actually no eggs in the red king crab, but we do have claws and then knuckles. Knuckles are actually one of the best meats. Look at that boneless, shelled nugget. And one of the best things about eating huge crabs like this, especially red king crab, is how meaty they are and how easy they are to eat. They cut it with scissors but then the meat slides off in huge chunks. It's so sweet, maybe it's a little firmer than real legs, but the texture of the knuckles is great. Next up for the Hanasaki crab claw, let's see how to handle this guy.

Oh yeah, it's a little pointy, oh, that just falls apart. You must be careful not to stab yourself with this Hanasaki crab claw. That reveals the meat, I think you can just pull it out with your finger. Okay, that wasn't a clean exit, but that's okay. The claw is very firm and then it is not fibrous but more scaly. Even the inside of that crab is completely orange, even the little spikes are intact. They are placed in the mold, the shell is like the mold for all the meat. Hey kid, I'm going to try that interior, it's like the head lining that they already took out, I don't know what it is, there's a combination of, oh yeah, look at that bit.

This is like a combination of head lining plus roe and tangled bits. It's like a liner for a helmet. A little bitter, we've got the roe there, the rich roe and then yeah, a slightly different texture. This is one I haven't tried yet, the grilled red crab leg. This is one of the best parts, just opening it up, only to reveal nuggets. Oh beautiful, again, absolutely spectacular. And I'll just slide my finger down. (soft house music) What food, what crab food! I think it was just the right amount of crab, we shared it with five, there are five of us who ate those crabs.

But that was spectacular, I don't know if I've ever eaten a whole meal of crab without anything, no condiments, nothing extra. I didn't even feel like I wanted to use anything extra, it was that good. Hanasaki you were delicious and thank you king crab. To give you an honest opinion, they are both incredibly good and have different flavors, different flavor profiles, but if I had to choose one, I think I would choose the red king crab. Yes, it is not called the king of crabs for no reason. It's so juicy, so sweet, so fresh. But this is a really good place, they are very friendly here.

I paid 34,000 yen for the two crabs. Which, let me do the conversion, is a little over $300 US for both crabs. Which I think was a waste, but it's actually so fresh, it's so good, they're so friendly and it fed five of us. (soft house music) (people speaking foreign language) Here they not only have seafood but also fruits and vegetables and this market is well known for its melons. Unfortunately it's not melon season, but they have melons all year round and Japanese melons are some of the most premium melons in the world, so I bought a portion. (soft house music) Oh, it's cold, oh, it's juicy.

Oh wow, okay, yeah. That's perfect after eating a lot of crab. It's so juicy, so refreshing, and it's like freezing 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 very cold. Oh yeah, that melon was so juicy it got my hand wet and now my hand is frozen. Well I think we're going to go into the next place, it's one of the most famous places, but it really is a legendary place and although it attracts tour buses, it's the same place we saw. when we entered.

They really say it has incredibly fresh seafood and is an iconic Hokkaido seafood restaurant from Sapporo. (screaming in foreign language) (water rushing) (soft house music) A complete seafood market. Downstairs they have a lot of live seafood. They have more crabs, they have basically everything. Then upstairs there is a dining room where you can order food, so I think we'll go straight to the dining room. We had crabs in the morning, but now it's lunch time, so there's a line. I want to eat here because it's a legendary place and the seafood looks incredibly fresh and people say good things about this place.

Everything is very organized, the staff is friendly, it's like a happy seafood palace. Well the wait wasn't that long, it was like a 10 minute wait, we got a table. Look at this menu, wait there is another one. What a beautiful, beautiful laminated menu with all the different bowls they offer and a lot of what people come to eat here is 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 looks like an open flower and I love the way it is displayed.

It is not only delicious but also beautiful to look at. Another thing is that when you pick it up you can feel that the seafood is cold but then you can feel deep down that the rice is still hot. Another thing is the contrast of temperatures in the mouth at the same time. And I think maybe I'll take my hat off. Should I take off my hat? No, I shouldn't take my hat off to this meal. I think it's okay to keep your hat on here, I see other people with their hats on too. What to start with is always the main question.

I think I'll start with the salmon eggs, they just glow and say my name. And I'm going to bend over, you have to eat them with a lot of rice, in good proportion. (laughs) Yes, I love the contrast of temperatures, the fresh seafood with the warm rice. The rice is sticky and sticky and then those salmon eggs just burst with that salty liquid. Towards the middle and then I'll add a little bit of this to each bite, then I'll go for the uni. (House musicmild) Oh wow, it's so sweet with that wonderful nutty flavor, salmon is next.

These are scallops! The scallop is incredible, very soft, very sweet, not slimy at all. But that wasabi went up my nose a little bit, I love it. Spinning again, oh yeah, it's tuna time. Slightly warm, as pure as butter in all its aspects. I'm not entirely sure what this is, maybe some kind of clam. Oh yes, it has a crunchy touch, I'll follow it with some rice. And finally, this maybe squid, squid? Slightly slimy but chewy and you can taste the sweetness that comes out with every bite. Well and finally the crab, I still haven't eaten crab today. (soft house music) I like it both with and without soy sauce.

It definitely enhances the raw seafood, but again the freshness and sweetness of the natural seafood is what stands out and you really don't need anything. (soft electronic music) And finally my last bite. It is a raw shrimp and the transparency is barely visible. You can almost see how, yeah, it's going to be sweet. I always leave the shrimp for last, as they are spicy. Oh, wow! Well, that might be the best bite of the entire plate. So sweet that the texture is almost sticky and gummy. It is simply tasty, incredibly fresh and very sweet. (soft house music) What surprised me is how friendly that market is and it's low-key, it's friendly, the people are friendly, the seafood is so fresh, so vibrant, so colourful.

The colors just pop! This is the place to go in Sapporo for crab and amazing seafood. And really, yes. When you are in Sapporo, when you visit Sapporo, it is a place you must visit if you love to eat. I want to say a big thank you for watching this video. Remember to like it if you enjoyed it and 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 to get notified of the next video I post. Thanks again for watching, goodbye to the cold Sapporo winter and see you in the next video.