Partaking in a Crab Safari was my number one reason for choosing to visit Norway in February - It did not disappoint! When doing the research for The Blog Master: Exploring Europe, one of the activities (Bonus-0053) we stumbled across was a Crab Safari Adventure offered in the town of Kirkenes. From that moment, I knew the crab safari was something I had to do at least once...
We began our journey with a short 15 minute bus ride from the harbor in Kirkenes up to the Snowhotel property just outside of the main town. This place is like heaven for the winter adventure enthusiast. The Snowhotel Kirkenes offers activities like: Reindeer Sledding, Dog Sledding, Northern Lights Viewing, Snow Skiing, Snow Shoeing, Crab Safari's and of course an Ice Hotel!
Once we arrived at the hotel we were directed towards a small building where we were given winter clothing to begin our morning journey out on the Fjord. We met our guide who was amazing - he had a great sense of humor and kept us laughing throughout the crab safari. Once we were all nice and toasty, we were loaded onto large sleds that held approximately 12 people and driven about ten minutes out onto the thick ice of the Varanger Fjord. For those who do not know a Fjord is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. They are a very common feature in the landscape of Norway.
Out on the ice, we were given a fascinating lecture (and demonstration from our catch) about the anatomical and environmental differences between these Norwegian King Crabs and their other ocean dwelling relatives. Our guide said that while they are commonly referred to as a crab and classified as a Malacostraca there is a lot of debate about their place in relationship to many other species of crabs. Many argue over the number of legs these crabs actually have... The consensus in Norway is that they are decapod or “ten-legged” crustaceans. They have 3 legs on each side of their body (six standard legs), a front pincher and puller claw (leg 7 and 8), and then 2 hidden legs (9-10) at the rear of their shell and above their tail. These hidden legs are housed under their hard shell and used for cleaning their gills, allowing them to live in the harsh environments of the arctic. Another interesting fact about the King Crab, like royalty, is that they are have "Blue Blood". This is due to a high copper-based respiratory pigment called hemocyanin. This blood allows the King Crabs to fight off disease, resist bacteria, and live in extremely cold climates with relative ease. Although their scientific classification may be up for debate, one fact is true - they are a delicacy the world over!
After pulling in our catch of the day, we were able to watch our guides clean and separate the legs from the body of the crab and pack them up to return with us for our afternoon feast!. In many cultures the body is also cooked and served over rice - In Norway it is truly the legs that are the specialty when dining. Upon returning to the main hall at the Snowhotel, we were finally allowed to eat our hard earned catch (not really our crab legs were caught earlier in the morning - ours would be used for the dinner tours because of time factors involved in preparing them). Our guide also served us butter, lemon and bread stating that it was extremely common for locals to separate out the meat from the legs and place it on a piece of buttered bread and topped with lemon to really bring out the sweet and rich flavor of the crab. I don't know about anyone else on our tour, but I definitely enjoyed eating my crab the way many locals do!!
Be sure when you draw Bonus-0053 during your next game of The Blog Master: Exploring Europe that you let everyone know the fully story about the Crab Safaris' in Norway!!
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