The season has arrived when fishermen on Yeonpyeong Island, the northernmost point of the Yellow Sea, get busy. Every year from Mar. 20 to June 30, for three months, blue crab fishing is in full swing on Yeonpyeong Island.
In the season called "spring blue crab," roe-bearing female crabs are in their prime. Blue crabs are in season twice a year. In spring, female crabs build up nutrients ahead of spawning. Their abdomens fill with vermilion roe, and the flesh is tender.
In fall (September–October), the situation reverses. After spawning in July–August, female crabs lose flesh, while male crabs become firm and plump. By dish, spring female crabs are best for soy-marinated crab or spicy marinated crab, while fall male crabs are suited for steamed blue crab or blue crab soup.
How are blue crabs caught? Fishermen mainly use pots, and in fast currents they use gillnets. When bait is placed in a cylindrical steel-frame pot covered with netting, crabs enter the pot. Blue crabs that come in along the gentle incline then cannot drop back out.
In areas with strong currents, including Yeonpyeong Island, fishers also use anchored gillnets. They set a long net stretching up to 1 kilometer along the crabs' path so the crabs get entangled. It can catch more than pots, but removing the crabs from the net is essential work. Many lose legs or die from stress in the process of being taken off the net.
The original name of the blue crab was "gotge." The shell cover is called "gap," and the spines that jut out on both sides of the gap are called "got" (cape). Because it is a crab with "got," it was called "gotge," which became "kkotge" (blue crab). In "Seongho Saseol," written by late Joseon practical scholar Yi Ik, the blue crab is also written as "gotge (串蟹)," recorded as being so called because there are two horn-like projections (got) on the carapace like skewers. Some argue that it became "blue crab" because the pattern on the carapace looks like a flower, but that claim is less convincing.
There are projections that the blue crab catch will increase this year compared with previous years. On the 11th, according to the National Institute of Fisheries Science, the spring fishing season blue crab catch in the Yellow Sea is expected to be 4,300–5,800 tons, up 12–50% from last year. The institute said increased spawning and recruitment last fall, along with a greater inflow of the Yellow Sea warm current into the Yellow Sea in winter, are expected to lead to higher blue crab catches.
☞ Spicy marinated crab recipe
1) Scrub the blue crabs thoroughly with a toothbrush, getting into all the crevices.
2) Cut off the leg tips and claws, open the abdomen, and remove the gills and sandbag. Quarter the crab and drain in a sieve.
3) Mix soy sauce (1 soju glass), 5 T red pepper powder, 1 T corn syrup, 3 T sugar, 0.5 t salt, 1 T minced garlic, and 2 T minced ginger to make the sauce.
4) Put the cleaned blue crabs into a bowl with the sauce and toss to coat.
5) Add Cheongyang chili and red chili, and pepper to taste, and toss once more.
6) Refrigerate for about a day to let the flavors develop, then enjoy.