It's snow crab season again. It's commonly known as a winter delicacy, but snow crab is fullest after the cold winter, in spring. That's why Uljin, North Gyeongsang, holds its snow crab festival around this time.
According to Uljin County on the 11th, the "Uljin Snow Crab and Red Snow Crab Festival" will be held for four days from Feb. 27 to Mar. 2 around Hupo Port in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang.
Hupo Port, the festival venue, is known as the filming location for the popular variety show "The Guest of the Century" and the 1990s drama "You and I." It is a major fishing port in the central East Sea, located at the southern end of Uljin County. Most fish species from the East Sea, including saury, squid, mackerel, and flounder, are caught here, and the signature catch among them is snow crab.
The stars of the festival are Uljin snow crab and red snow crab. Snow crab belongs to the order Decapoda because it has 10 legs, and it was named because its long, straight legs extending from the body resemble bamboo. It mainly lives in seas deeper than 500 meters. Red snow crab, which has a reddish color and is also called hongge, lives in deep waters shallower than 500 meters. The fishing methods differ: snow crab is caught with nets, while red snow crab is caught with pots.
The festival is centered on hands-on programs. Twice daily, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can try catching snow crab and red snow crab themselves. On opening day, the 27th, it will be held once at 3:30 p.m., and on closing day, Mar. 2, once at 12:30 p.m.
A snow crab auction event is also planned. After the hands-on program ends, an auction runs for about 30 minutes, and visitors can take part directly to buy snow crab at relatively low prices. Simply watching the auction process is a spectacle in itself.
Main events continue by date. On the first day, the 27th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., a table tennis clinic will be held with "table tennis empress" Hyun Jung-hwa, vice president of the Korea Table Tennis Association.
On the second day, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., there will be a crab-rope tug-of-war. Crab-rope tug-of-war is a traditional folk game in which two teams tie the 10 leg-ropes extending from a model snow crab body around their waists and test their strength, deciding the winner while kneeling over 20 to 30 seconds.
On the third day, a crab sauce bibimbap performance and a talent contest called "Gepan Kkijarang" are scheduled. Using a giant snow crab carapace bowl, organizers will offer free tastings to tourists, and 15 teams that pass the preliminaries will compete with performances.
During the event, yacht-boarding experiences and a snow crab dining zone will operate at all times. Visitors can cross the East Sea by yacht and take in Hupo Port's sunset scenery.
A schedule that pairs the festival with hot springs is also recommended. Uljin is also famous as a hot spring area. Baekam Hot Spring in Onjeong-myeon is an alkaline simple spring with soft water suitable for long soaks. Deokgu Hot Spring in Buk-myeon is known as Korea's only naturally outflowing hot spring where the water rises without pumps.
☞ How to steam snow crab deliciously
① Turn the snow crab upside down and soak it in water for about 10 minutes.
※ If you boil it alive right away, the snow crab, which is sensitive to temperature changes, may sever its own legs, so it's better to turn it over to stun it before cooking.
② Scrub with a brush to thoroughly remove any foreign matter from the surface.
③ Put a small amount of water in the steamer, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
※ Be careful not to let the water overflow onto the steaming rack.
④ When the water starts boiling, place the snow crab with its belly facing up and steam for 25 to 30 minutes.
※ For large, thick-shelled varieties like king crab or Bakdal snow crab, steam about 10 minutes longer.
⑤ Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. (※ If you open the lid midway, cold air can enter and the crab's color may darken, so take care.)