Eating crab in Cha-am: February is crab month
Cha-am in the province of Phetchaburi is growing as a "new" seaside resort, but traditionally it is known as the place for blue crabs in particular.
Local fishermen in the villages of Ban Klong Thian and Saphan Hin, for example, have specialized in this species and sell the freshly caught crab from submerged nets. If you want to buy crab, the merchant will bring up a net and you can choose the desired amount.
February is the peak season for catching blue krab in Cha-am. The real enthusiasts are invited to visit the “Cha-am Crab Pulling Festival” which will be held in that month. The festival aims, of course, to promote local tourism, but it is also intended to preserve the traditional life of the fishermen and encourage people to help conserve the blue crabs.
The municipality of Cha-am supports the fishing community with so-called crab banks, where crabs lay their eggs. A female crab can lay 30.000 to 1 million fertilized eggs, which can grow in those beds to a certain size and then be deposited in the sea. Incidentally, not all eggs will hatch, it is estimated that this will be about 30% of the total number of eggs laid.
If you're in the area in February, it's well worth checking out the activities of this festival. Ruamchit Road on the seafront will have numerous stalls selling crabs and other seafood, an area where beer and other drinks will be sold and live music will be provided. There will be regular demonstrations on how to crack and eat the crab.
Delicious crab eaten in the restaurants on the (small) harbor in Cha-am. It's just, at least for me, very difficult to get that meat out of the crab. And also with dishes in which the crab is processed, for example 'Poo pad pong kari' (stir-fried crab with yellow curry) degenerates into a mess with me, where I also have to be careful not to bite my teeth on the remaining remains of the hard shell .
This is a story from three years ago, but how are things going now (Corona has done things in the meantime)?