【Reading】かに

【English Name】Crab

Kani (crab) is a group of crustaceans making up the infraorder Brachyura of the order Decapoda, and is widely enjoyed as a sushi topping as well. Combining the world's oceans, freshwaters, and land, about 7,000 species are known to exist, and their forms are truly diverse, ranging from small species a few millimeters in body length to the takaashigani (Japanese spider crab), which spans 3 m with its legs spread.

Major species known as ingredients for sushi and sashimi include zuwaigani (snow crab) and kegani (horsehair crab), which mainly inhabit the deep sea, and gazami (swimming crab), which prefers shallow sandy-mud bottoms. On the other hand, tarabagani (red king crab) is taxonomically positioned among the hermit crabs (infraorder Anomura), and in a biological sense cannot strictly be called a crab, but in the fisheries and food-service industries it is generally distributed as crab.

The reason the shell takes on a reddish tint when heated is explained by the astaxanthin present in the shell being separated from protein by heat. In Japan's rivers, freshwater species such as sawagani and mokuzugani are also widely distributed, with a history of reaching the table since ancient times.

As serving styles in sushi, nigiri using boiled leg meat and gunkan-maki of loosened flesh are standard, and the way of savoring the rich umami by combining it with kani-miso (crab innards) also has many fans.