Snow Crab Feast in Yeongduck

When we lived in Andong, my family always travelled to Yeongduck, a small town by the sea, during the summer to visit its beautiful beaches. My brother and I would catch loads of clams in the ocean, bring them home, and Mom would cook delectable soup with them.

To reminisce on the good times we had, we drove to Yeongduck this afternoon. At the time of the year, Yeongduck is famous for its snow crabs. Dad has been here a few months before with grandma and knew a place where they specialize in snow crabs. The shop was smaller than other competitive restaurants, but, according to Mom, "The smaller restaurants are usually the tastier ones."

These are snow crabs caught by the owner from the ocean. It reads, "Yeongduck Snow Crab."

We ordered three snow crabs ($10 each) and $20 worth of red crabs, or 8 crabs. Red crabs are a lot cheaper than the snow crabs, but I couldn't really taste the difference between the two types.

While waiting for the crabs to steam, the owner brought us shelled peanuts and shrimp cocktails as an appetizer. The shrimps had eggs inside, so I was a bit freaked out. They were also slightly frozen.

The red crabs came to the table first because they had already been steamed before (instead of the snow crabs, which were put into the steamer right from the tank). The owner's wife cut them into smaller pieces so that they are easier for us to consume.

I am a fan of the crab meat in the body rather than the legs because even though it's less tender, I prefer the salty flavor in the body.

Look at this good looking red crab.

While digging through the red crabs, the snow crabs came out of the steamer. Compared to the red crabs, the snow crabs were much sweeter, more tender, and less salty.

The meat was so soft! Like the name itself, it melted right in my mouth. After eating this piece of leg meat, I realized I like the meat in the leg much more than the meat in the body! :)With just a couple legs left on the plate, though, I could feel my stomach feeling a bit nauseous...you know, that feeling you get when you eat too much seafood.

Just as I was getting tired of the crab legs, the owner's wife brought us a new treat: crab juice fried rice.

It must just be a thing in Korea, but Koreans eat every part of the crab, including the body and its juices. They mix the body's juices (along with the guts and intestines) with rice and chopped vegetables, and then place in the crab's body to be used as a bowl.

Sadly I only had a couple spoonful because my stomach was too bloated from the legs. The rice could have been seasoned a bit more, but I suppose that is the beauty of this treat: it's all natural, with no added ingredients. It tasted a lot better with a piece of kimchi that was served with it.