King crab in Ushuaia: what it is and where to try it

What king crab (centolla) is

The southern king crab, known locally as centolla (Lithodes santolla), is a crustacean that lives on the seabed in the cold waters of southern South America. It is also called Magellanic, southern, Argentine or Chilean king crab, and it generally lives at depths of less than 150 m. It is a decapod of the family Lithodidae: its carapace reaches about 19 cm in length, but its long legs make it look much bigger, and its color ranges from orange-red to pink.

At first glance it looks like a crab: it has six legs, two claws, a reddish color and an average weight of about two kilos. In English it is known as king crab and, along with Patagonian toothfish (merluza negra), it is one of the city’s signature dishes.

Centolla and centollón are not the same

Two similar species are caught in the Beagle Channel, and both may appear on a menu. Both grow slowly: the centolla reaches reproductive age at about 5 years, and the centollón at 10.

If you want to know what you are being served at a restaurant, ask whether the dish is made with centolla or centollón.

How it is caught in the Beagle Channel

With bottom traps, from a small-scale fishing fleet. In Puerto Almanza there are about 30 houses, most of them belonging to small-scale fishers who take centolla, centollón, mussels, ribbed mussels and other shellfish from the channel.

The fishery has a history, and limits too. In August 1967, a Chilean patrol boat ordered the Argentine schooner Cruz del Sur, which was fishing for king crab near Gable Island, to leave: it was one of the episodes that heightened the Beagle conflict in the 1970s. The king crab population declined drastically because of commercial fishing, which is why the closed season matters.

The species’ life cycle helps explain why. Females molt their shells between late November and early December, each one carries between 5,500 and 60,000 eggs attached to her body, and development inside the egg takes 9 to 10 months: the young hatch between mid-September and October.

The closed season: when king crab is not fished

To protect the resource, king crab fishing is banned from March 1 to June 30 every year. It is also sold frozen, canned smoked or in olive oil, with the Tierra del Fuego – Fin del Mundo Certified Quality Seal. If you are traveling in those months and want freshly caught king crab, ask the restaurant how it is stored. To choose when to travel, see when to visit Ushuaia.

Where to eat king crab in Ushuaia

In the city and on the channel coast. Local cooks prepare it in salads, stews, stuffed pasta, gratins, soups, sushi and empanadas, and on its own. It is a lean meat: every 100 g of cooked king crab has between 0.7 and 0.76 g of fat and between 14 and 16 g of protein. There are also restaurants in Puerto Almanza, and it is best to book ahead.

We do not name restaurants or prices, because they change: before you go, check each restaurant’s menu.

King crab in Puerto Almanza

It is the place that gives the King Crab Route its name. It is 75 km from Ushuaia, facing Puerto Williams (Chile), and its visitors can eat dishes made with the day’s catch and harvest: fish, centolla and centollón, sea urchin, octopus and shellfish. There are also outings to catch your own king crab from Puerto Almanza; Caravana does not offer that activity. What else there is in the village and how to get there is in Puerto Almanza.

The King Crab Route with Caravana: does it include king crab?

We cannot promise it. The tour goes to Puerto Almanza in about 8 hours, with stops at Laguna Victoria (country breakfast), Brown Bay, Puerto Almanza, lunch facing the Beagle Channel, the Duende Waterfall and the Flag Tree. Lunch is included, but the program does not list the menu. If trying king crab is part of your plan, ask when you check availability, or book a meal in Ushuaia for another point in your trip.

Along the way you also see castoreras, the dams built by beavers: their story is in beavers in Tierra del Fuego.

Planning your trip

If the King Crab Route takes up a whole day, the rest of your trip falls into place with what to do in Ushuaia in 3 or 4 days. To see the channel from the water, with islands, a lighthouse and penguins, see the Beagle Channel.