King crab nigiri

King crab (Tarabagani)

【Nigiri sushi: Ebi/Kani】
King crab (Tarabagani) allows you to better appreciate its sweetness and umami when boiled rather than served raw. While nigiri made with the massive leg meat on its own may not be ideal in terms of balance with shari, its overwhelming size and satisfying texture make for a truly memorable eating experience.

However, since tarabagani is not a standard ingredient in Edomae-style sushi, there are very few sushi restaurants in Tokyo that serve it as nigiri. As a sushi chef, one would naturally want to source live tarabagani, boil it in-house, and serve it while it is still warm. However, the crabs themselves are enormous, and depending on their size, a single crab can cost over 100,000 yen. For an independently owned sushi restaurant, using up an entire crab in a single day is no easy feat, given its enormous size. Moreover, given the price, the cost of the crab alone could make a single piece of nigiri nearly as expensive as an entire course.

Frozen raw king crab is available on the market, but there is little reason to go out of your way to choose it. Most sushi chefs would likely opt for other ingredients that are easier to handle and pair better with sushi rice. In fact, tarabagani nigiri is mainly found at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants and specialty crab restaurants, where frozen products are often used. However, thawed crab can sometimes taste watery, leaving something to be desired in terms of flavor.

Ultimately, rather than forcing tarabagani to blend with shari, isn’t the best way to fully enjoy its sweetness, umami, and—above all—its overwhelming heartiness simply to boil or steam it and savor the leg meat as is?

【What is Tarabagani】
Tarabagani is found in places such as the Arctic Ocean along the coast of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk, at depths of 30 to 360 m. In the waters around Japan, it is found mainly around Hokkaido. Its carapace can reach 25 cm in width, while the largest individuals can measure over 1 m across with their legs outstretched. Currently, catches are declining in the waters around Japan, so most Tarabagani available in Japanese markets comes from Russia. Taking advantage of its proximity, Hokkaido receives high-quality live Tarabagani imported from Russia.

Known as the “King of Crabs,” Tarabagani is often used as a sushi topping in winter, but it is not technically a true crab. It is a relative of hermit crabs. While true crabs have ten legs arranged in five pairs, Tarabagani, like hermit crabs, has eight legs arranged in four pairs. Also, while true crabs generally move sideways, Tarabagani can also move forward and backward. Incidentally, the “Taraba” in Tarabagani comes from the Japanese words tara (cod) and ba (place), meaning “a place where cod are caught.”

【Nutrition and Effects of King crab】
King crab has the highest free amino acid content of all crabs, especially arginine, glycine, proline, alanine, and taurine. These free amino acids, together with adenylic acid, betaine, etc., constitute the unique flavor. Nutritional composition per 100g is 84.7g water, 13g protein, and 0.3g fat. It is surprisingly low in calories at 59 kcal.

【Substitute fish】
Blue king crab: Paralithodes platypus

【Related contents】
What is imitation crab?

Snow crab (Zuwaigani)

Horsehair crab (Kegani)

NOAA denies emergency request to close red king crab savings areas

List of Prawn (Ebi) and Crab (Kani)

(Revision date: September 5, 2026)