【Reading】がざみ

【English Name】Swimming Crab (Japanese Blue Crab)

Gazami is a large edible crab belonging to the family Portunidae, also widely known by the common name "watari-gani" (swimming crab). Its carapace exceeds 15 cm in width, and males are larger in build than females. The upper surface of the shell is yellowish-brown as a base color, with bluish tints and scattered white spots on the legs and claws. Its most conspicuous feature is that the fifth pair of legs is modified into flattened swimming legs, giving it the ability to swim swiftly and freely through the sea.

It is distributed in inner bays from southern Hokkaido to around Yakushima, mainly inhabiting sandy-muddy seafloor at depths of around 30 m. Sheltered, enclosed bays with little wave action—such as the Ariake Sea, the Seto Inland Sea, Ise Bay, Mikawa Bay, and Osaka Bay—are renowned as major production areas. In Tara Town, Saga Prefecture it is called "Takezaki-gani," and around Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, "Buzen-hon-gani," with regional brands nurtured in various places.

The best season runs mainly from late autumn into midwinter, and females bearing roe (uchiko) in particular become incomparably richer in flavor. The crab meat and crab innards (kani-miso) are commonly enjoyed boiled in salt, steamed, or in miso-based soups, and the crab is also prized as an ingredient for pasta. Once a symbolic presence among sea crabs in Japan, domestic catches have trended downward in recent years, and imported products from China, Korea, and Southeast Asia also circulate in the market.