In Thailand, the cool season lasts for three or four months, but during that time there are only a couple of weeks when it really gets cold. To make the most of it, many people head to the North or to Isan to experience the chilly weather at its most extreme. Those are the parts of the country where the temperature takes the biggest plunge, and where they will be able to wear the cold-weather clothing that has been hanging in the closet all year.
Tasty: steamed blue crabs.
At the same time, there are others who prefer to go to the seashore, where it isn’t as cold as it is farther north. It is just pleasantly cool, and there is a nice view of the sea. It takes less time to get there than it does to go to the North or to Isan, too, and there will be tasty seafood to eat.
Most seafood restaurants offer a big selection of dishes. Some of the better-known ones include plaa kraphong thawt raad nam plaa (deep-fried sea bass with nam plaa), plaa insee daet dio thawt (plaa insee, a sea fish with firm, white meat, semi-dried and then deep-fried), kung ope kluea (prawns baked with salt), plaa duke thalay phat chaa (sea catfish stir-fried with chillies, seasoning and herbs), and kaeng paa plaa kraai (a very spicy fish curry made without coconut cream). All of these dishes are very good, but anyone who neglects to include an order of puu maa nueng (steamed blue crab) might just as well not have gone to the seashore at all.
People often like to go to the beach with a group of friends or with the family, and may stay in a rented bungalow that has a kitchen. They might buy some crabs to steam themselves or even go out to order some ready-steamed at a local food shop. Sometimes hopes for a crab meal might be dashed, however, because fishermen, both those who go for crabs along the shore and those who catch them from small boats, can’t get many during this season, when strong winds can make the seas rough.
Docked: Above, some fishermen’s boats moored where they are shielded from the wind. a day’s
Catch: Right, a fisherman takes crabs and fish from his nets after returning to dry land.
During these months the monsoon is blowing in the South. Although there are no monsoon winds in Pattaya, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, which are located along the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand, the waters there do feel the effects of the stormy weather farther south. If government meteorologists observe that it is causing waves two to four metres high, warnings go out for small boats to stay ashore. This means that not only will crabs be scarce in the markets, but also shrimp and fish caught near the shore.
Even if the waves and wind are quiet, there can be problems. There are the nam taai, or “dead water” periods during the full moon and when there is no moon, when the sea is very still. A couple of days after both of these quiet periods the water starts to flow again and fishermen place their nets across the current to take advantage of the natural tendency of sea animals to swim with the current. These two natural phenomena — rough seas caused by monsoon winds and quiet seas corresponding to phases of the moon — are the main obstacles faced by crab fishermen.
Otherwise, the fisherman go out and place their nets in the late afternoon, then return home. They go out again in the morning to haul the nets in and take them ashore, where they extricate the crabs from the netting. Most of the time other edible sea animals like the shellfish called plaa jawp (similar to a mussel but much bigger), and various shallow-water fish are caught in them, too.
Buying blue crabs directly from the boat when it comes in lets you see them at their freshest, very active as they are freed from the net. You can also buy fish caught in the nets, most of which only have to be fried to make a good meal. Determining the right time to go out to buy crabs from fishermen’s boats can be tricky, though, because there is no set time when they return to shore. Some come in at 8am, others at 10. The best way is to check in with the boats ahead of time and set a time. Otherwise you may arrive to find that all the crabs have already been sold to restaurants.
Peaceful: Sam Roi Yawt Beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan, where many fishing boats are based. It is also a tourism destination for travellers who like peace and quiet and well worth a visit during the cool season.
As regards price, it can vary. On the average, the crabs will cost 200-250 baht a kilo, but larger ones can cost more. When buying from a boat, the proper etiquette is not to choose them yourself, because if you select all of the big ones there will be none left to sell to seafood restaurants. The best way is to tell the fisherman what size you prefer and the amount that you want to pay, and let him do the choosing. This method creates friendly feelings for future dealings.
Blue crabs of any size are delicious, although there will be more meat in the claws and under the shell of larger ones. The shell of the claws and back will be hard, however, making the meat difficult to remove.
Small crabs that are also heavy, called tua naen in Thai, also have a lot of meat, but the shell is thinner, making it easier to remove.
Getting to eat good blue crab may be something that you don’t expect during the cold season, but if you do decide on a sojourn to the seashore and you time things right, it will be one of the pleasures that make the trip worthwhile. n
