Protected local food
Echizen Crab
越前がに
Echizen Crab is snow crab landed in Fukui. Kept cold from the sea to port, it is famous for sweet meat and rich crab miso, and Fukui has sent it to the Imperial Household for more than 90 years.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 27 September 2018
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 越前がに
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福井県
Why it's so fresh
Off the Echizen coast of Fukui, the seabed drops steeply, so good snow crab grounds lie close to shore. Crews sort the crabs on board and keep them cold until landing. That keeps even the crab miso and the roe, which spoil fast, rich and full of flavour.
Fukui has presented Echizen Crab to the Imperial Household for more than 90 years, and it sells for more per kilo than the national average.
Good to know
- Snow crab is a winter food. Check the fishing season before you plan a crab trip.
- Try kani miso, the rich crab innards, straight from the shell.
Questions travellers ask
What kind of crab is Echizen Crab?
Snow crab (zuwaigani) landed in Fukui Prefecture, sold both fresh and boiled.
Why is Echizen Crab special?
The grounds are close to shore, the crabs are sorted on board and kept cold, so they arrive very fresh. Fukui has presented them to the Imperial Household for over 90 years.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Echizen-Fukui: 400 years of towns built in stone
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
- Wakasa and the Saba Kaido: the mackerel road to Kyoto
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.