Wakkanai boasts the largest shipment of octopus. A dish developed for eating this specialty is the Octopus Shabu Shabu.
The octopus caught from the sea is speed-frozen while alive and sliced into thin pieces. When eating the octopus slices, you should
quickly dip them in boiling water flavored with kelp using your chopsticks and then dip them in thick gravy made of
either miso (bean paste), goma (sesame), or soy sauce with vinegar. You should eat them together with vegetables.
Don't dip the slices in boiling water too long because they will shrink. You can eat this delicious dish in almost any Japanese
restaurant. A gift set for four persons is very popular.
Crab
Various sea plants and fish are caught off the coast of Wakkanai but the crab including the long-legged crab is caught in abundance.
The simplest and the most popular way of eating crabs is to simply boil them in salt water. You can also eat them as Crab
Shabu Shabu, put them in stew, soup, or ramen (Chinese soup noodles). A chic way of drinking sake is to pour
hot sake into the shell of the long-legged crab and drinking from it.
Other Sea Products
Other fresh sea products such as scallops, ear shells, salmon, and sea urchins are caught in abundance off the coast of Wakkanai. You can
eat them at any Japanese restaurant or pub.
Wakkanai Beef
Cattle is raised along the 90 km long coastline of the Soya slope. The meat of these cattle is tender and tasty. We recommend you to taste the Wakkanai beef known for its juicy taste.
