Red King Crab - Bocuse D'Or 2007 !

January 23rd and 24th, 2007 in Lyon France will be held the annual and the world'’s most prestigious cooking competition; the Bocuse d'Or 2007 . There are 24 countries amongst the finalist that will try to reach for the worlds biggest culinary trophy. Every year there are pre-selected ingredients that are the theme for the cooking. This time the selection are Bresse Chicken, Norwegian White Halibut and last but not least the Norwegian Red King Crab.
Of all species of shellfish, Norwegian Red King Crab is one of the most outstanding and impressive you can serve. The meat of the legs and claws has a naturally sweet taste. The meat is extremely versatile and can also be steamed, boiled and baked. It works well with a variety of different spices and seasonings.
Norway's catches of Red King Crab account for only a small percentage of the world'’s total. Despite this, Norwegian Red King Crab is attracting attention in the world markets mainly because of its impressive size and meat quality. It weighs 10 pounds on average, while crabs from the world's largest catching ground, Alaska, have an average weight of only about 7 pounds.The fishing of Norwegian Red King Crab takes place in the northern part of Norway, using small coastal vessels. The vessels carry a maximum of 30 crab nets and have a short distance to travel to reach the receiving facilities. This means that the crabs are caught in limited numbers, making it possible for the fisherman to handle each crab individually, reducing the stress and damage to the creature. Both the condition and survivability of the crab benefit from these gentle catching methods. This care and attention, when used throughout the process, from catch to production, give the Norwegian Red King Crab a distinctive quality advantage.The Red King Crab was introduced to the Murmansk Fjord in Russia in the 1960s and has since spread to large areas in the southern Barents Sea. In the autumn of 2002, Norway started the commercial catching of Red King Crab. At that time, 127 vessels were licensed to participate in the catching, and the quota was set at 100,000 male king crabs. For 2006, the quota for Red King Crab in Norway was set at 280,000 male crabs. They are available in Europe. If you want to try Red King Crab in the US, you will have to ask your fishmonger for Alaskan Red King Crab. They both are fantastic and I'm looking very much forward to see what my Gourmet Brothers will do with these at the competition. We will cover the wining dishes for sure!