Snow crab, weighing 1.24kg, fetches record S$62,500 at Japan auction

The snow crab with its 14.6cm shell and a weight of 1.24kg was caught in the Sea of Japan/East Sea off the coast of Tottori prefecture, an area of Japan known for pricey snow crabs. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

TOKYO (DPA) - A high-end snow crab fetched a record 5 million yen (S$62,500) on Thursday (Nov 7) in the season's first crab auction at a fish market in western Japan.

The snow crab with its 14.6cm shell and a weight of 1.24kg was caught in the Sea of Japan/East Sea off the coast of Tottori prefecture, an area of Japan known for pricey snow crabs.

The snow crab was bought by Kanemasa-Hamashita, a shop in the city of Tottori. They plan to sell it to a Japanese restaurant in Ginza district in Tokyo, local media reported.

The price was "a little higher than expected. But this is the crab I must buy. So, I feel relieved", the store's company president Tetsuji Hamashita told broadcaster NHK.

"I just want people to know crabs in Tottori are the best," he said.

Mr Hamashita also paid last year's record 2 million yen for a snow crab. That was at that time certified by the Guinness World Records as the most expensive crab sold at an auction.

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