The snow crab fishing season is from November 6th to March 20th every year. At various fishing ports facing the Sea of Japan, crab fishing boats start preparing from the night of November 5th, and when the ban is lifted at midnight on the 6th, they leave the fishing ports all at once. It is said that one of the most suitable cooking methods to fully enjoy the taste of the ingredients is to cook them as they are caught without cutting or handling them. At KAI, the crabs are steamed whole so as not to lose their umami and juiciness, and they are served using techniques unique to each facility.
The nationwide hot spring inn brand “KAI” has three inns located in the Sea of Japan area, which will offer a live crab kaiseki meal prepared with a unique cooking method, starting November 7, 2022. In 2022, a new kaiseki course will be prepared at KAI Izumo, a newly opened facility in Izumo Hinomisaki Onsen, Shimane Prefecture.
“Honen-mushi of Live Matsuba Crab” – KAI Izumo
KAI Izumo, which will open on November 17, 2022, will offer one course of crab kaiseki cuisine using live crab from the opening date. For the crab, fresh, live Matsuba crab is used is wrapped in rice straw and steamed.
Period: November 16, 2022 to March 1, 2023 *Excluded dates: Year-end and New Year
Prices: Room charge from 25,000 yen (per person when two people use one room, tax and service charge included)
Additional charge for crab dishes 13,200 yen (for one person, tax and service charge included)
Reservation: Official site (https://hoshinoresorts.com/ja/hotels/kaiizumo/)
Reservation required at least 5 days in advance
KAI Tamatsukuri’s “Live Matsuba Crab Steamed on Cedar Board”
KAI Tamatsukuri will reopen on November 7, 2022 after renovation. Hosho-mushi is a local cuisine cooking technique that is said to have been favored by Harusato Matsudaira (Fumaiko), the 7th lord of the Matsue domain during the Edo period. At KAI Tamatsukuri, the crab is wrapped and steamed on a cedar board at a high temperature.
Another highlight of KAI Tamatsukuri’s crab kaiseki is the crab sukiyaki pot, which is only served at the kaiseki full of fresh Matsuba crab with tags. Served in an original earthenware pot made from Sekishu tiles, one of Shimane’s specialties. The soup stock of Kanisuki-nabe is often made with kelp, but at KAI Tamatsukuri, clams, which are also known as a specialty of Lake Shinji, are used. The rich flavor and faint aroma of shellfish bring out the umami of hot crab hotpot.
Period: November 7, 2022, to March 10, 2023, *Excluded dates: Year-end and New Year holidays
Reservation: Official website (https://hoshinoresorts.com/ja/hotels/kaitamatsukuri/)
Reservation is required at least 5 days in advance.
KAI Kaga’s Rope-Tied Steamed Crab
In old literature on crab cuisine, there is a cooking method called “crab burial”, in which the residual heat of the irori hearth is used to steam crab. It is said that the crab was wrapped with a rope to keep the ashes from sticking to it. Inspired by this recipe, the restaurant is using a method of steaming fresh crabs tied with a rope soaked in salt water. Unlike direct steaming of crabs, steaming is done indirectly through a rope.
Period: November 7, 2022 to March 4, 2023 *Excluded dates: Year-end and New Year
Reservation: Official site (https://hoshinoresorts.com/ja/hotels/kaikaga/)
Reservation required at least 5 days in advance