King Crab

The king crab is a relative newcomer to Norway. It comes from the Pacific Ocean's far north, and it was formerly known in Norway as the "Kamchatka Crab," after the peninsula on Siberia's east coast. Soviet researchers began releasing these crabs into the Murmansk Fjord in the 1960s.

The crab flourished in this environment, and the first king crab was found in Norwegian seas just west of the border in 1977. Crabs may now be found off the coasts of West Finnmark and Troms, indicating that the crab population has spread westward. On the other hand, crab colonies are densest from the North Cape eastwards.

Now, all throughout the north, they are a staple of Norwegian fine dining, served in soups or simply with some bread and mayonnaise. You can also drink wine and champagne. That would be a very good combination. In Tromsø, a good place to sample king crab (krabbe) is the Fiskekompaniet.