Introduction: "The autumn wind blows, crab legs itch, chrysanthemums bloom, the smell of crabs arrives." After the start of autumn, we usher in the annual crab-eating season. The meat of the hairy crab is tender and delicious, deeply loved by the masses, and it has always been a nutritious delicacy. There are many customs to eating crab, and different cooking methods make the hairy crab even more delicious.
To learn more about hairy crab recipes, please click on the Meitian Special: Time for Annual Crab Feast
Since ancient times, the hairy crab has enjoyed a supreme reputation. The hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake are even known as the "Number One Crab Under Heaven". Authentic Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs enter their peak season in late September and continue until late October. Their characteristics are "large and heavy, with a blue-green back, a white belly, golden claws, yellow hair, rich crab roe, and tender white meat." "Blue-green back" refers to the crab shell being a blue-gray color, smooth and glossy. "White belly" means the plastron is pure white and crystal clear, without any mud spots. "Yellow hair" means the bristles on the crab's legs are long and golden-yellow, standing upright. "Golden claws" refer to the crab's legs being golden, solid, and powerful. After being steamed, an authentic hairy crab has fresh and sweet meat, a full shape, and rich, fragrant roe and paste, making it highly favored by diners.
Eating hairy crabs is a very particular affair; it is not just about satisfying one's hunger, but more importantly, about appreciating the culture associated with it. In terms of timing, the best time to eat hairy crabs is in the eighth and ninth lunar months. There is a folk saying, "Eat the female crab in the eighth month, and the male crab in the ninth month." This "eighth" and "ninth" refer to the eighth and ninth lunar months, respectively. In the eighth month, you eat the round-bellied females, and in the ninth month, you eat the pointed-bellied males.
Many people say they have eaten hairy crabs, but they may not have eaten authentic ones, which is why some people find hairy crabs unappetizing. The market is now flooded with mixed-quality hairy crabs, and it is very difficult for an average person to pick out an authentic one; it requires an expert to distinguish them. He says that a true hairy crab is memorable for a lifetime, and once you've had it, other crabs will seem bland and tasteless.
[8 Ways to Cook Hairy Crab]
I. Steamed Hairy Crab
Ingredients: 4 hairy crabs, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, 10 grams ginger.
Method: 1. Brush and clean the crabs, set aside. Mince the ginger.
2. Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, and minced ginger together to make a dipping sauce and set aside.
3. Once the water in the steamer is boiling, place the crabs in and steam for about 15 minutes (adjust time based on crab size and heat).
4. Dip the steamed crabs in the sauce you just made. Crab is considered a "cold" food in nature, so it must be eaten with ginger and vinegar.
II. Curry Flower Crab
Ingredients: 2 flower crabs, 1 onion, 1 spring onion, 1 piece of ginger, 2 lettuce leaves, 1 orange, 2 red chilies, appropriate amount of starch.
Seasonings: a. 1 small spoon salt, a little white pepper, 1 large spoon of wine. b. 2 small spoons salt, 1 large spoon of sugar, 1 large spoon of wine, 2 large spoons of curry powder.
Method: 1. Clean the flower crabs and remove the内脏. Peel the crab shell open completely, cut the crab belly into large pieces. Crush the spring onion and ginger and mix with seasoning a, then marinate the crabs.
2. Slice the onion, slice the orange, cut the red chilies into small diamond shapes. Dredge the marinated crabs with a little starch and deep-fry in oil, then remove and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok and sauté the onion slices. Add seasoning b and stir-fry over low heat until the curry aroma is released. Add 1 cup of water and the crab, and cook until the sauce is almost reduced. Thicken with a thin slurry of starch.
III. Crab and Glass Noodle Hot Pot
Ingredients: 1 male crab, 1 bundle of glass noodles, 20g white radish, 20g carrot, 1 spring onion, 1 piece of ginger.
Seasonings: a. 1/2 small spoon salt, 1 large spoon of wine, a little white pepper. b. 1 small spoon salt, 1 large spoon of sugar, 1 large spoon of wine, 2 large spoons of satay sauce.
Method: 1. Clean the crab and remove the内脏. Peel the crab shell open completely, cut the crab belly into large pieces. Crush the spring onion and ginger and mix with seasoning a, then marinate the crab. Slice the white and red radishes, slice the ginger, and cut the spring onion into sections.
2. Dredge the marinated crab with a little starch and deep-fry in oil, then remove and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok and sauté the ginger and spring onion sections. Add seasoning b, the white and red radish slices, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil with the crab, then transfer to a clay pot. Add the glass noodles and continue to boil until they are cooked.
IV. Spicy Fried Crab
Ingredients: Live mud crab, dried chili segments, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, garlic slices, spring onion sections, salt, white pepper, cooking wine, dry starch, seafood sauce, water starch, chicken essence, sesame oil, peppercorn oil, chili oil, refined oil, fresh stock.
Method: 1. Remove the shell from the ventral part of the live mud crab, clean out the内脏 and gills. Cut off the tips of the legs and the edges of the shell. Wash the crab, then chop it into 8 pieces. Add an appropriate amount of salt and cooking wine and mix well.
2. Heat a wok over high heat and bring the refined oil to 50% heat. Dredge the cut surfaces of the crab pieces with dry starch and deep-fry until cooked (the shell should also be cooked).
3. Add more oil to the wok, heat to 40% heat, and sauté the dried chili segments and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Add the fresh stock and simmer for a moment. Then add the ginger, spring onion, garlic, and crab. Finally, add salt, cooking wine, seafood sauce, and chicken essence. Simmer for about 2 minutes, then thicken with water starch. Finally, add sesame oil, peppercorn oil, chili oil, and white pepper, toss evenly, and plate.
V. Hangzhou Traditional Dish: Crab Stuffed in Orange
Ingredients: 200g crab roe meat, 2 eggs, 10 fresh oranges, 25g pork fat, 25g water chestnuts, 3g salt, 5g cooking wine, 5g ginger, 2g MSG, 1g white pepper.
Method: 1. Cut the top one-quarter off each orange and set the tops aside. Scoop out the orange pulp, leaving some orange flesh. Mince the ginger.
2. Blanch the pork fat until cooked, then dice it. Dice the water chestnuts. Mix the crab meat, pork fat, and water chestnuts with egg, minced ginger, white pepper, salt, MSG, and cooking wine. Divide into 10 portions and stuff into the oranges. Cover with the reserved orange tops.
3. Place the stuffed oranges on a plate and steam for 30 minutes, then remove and serve.
VI. Hunan Style Spicy Fried Hairy Crab
Ingredients: 1 hairy crab, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 3 slices ginger, 6 cloves garlic, 3 slices spring onion, about 3 dried chilies, about 40 Sichuan peppercorns, 15g fermented black beans, 5g salt, 5ml light soy sauce, 3g sugar, 20ml high-proof liquor, 5g dry starch, 3g doubanjiang (broad bean chili paste), 5ml water starch.
Method:
1. Clean the crab thoroughly. Pour the liquor into the crab's mouth, wait for 20 minutes before proceeding.
2. Hold the crab shell, use a knife to press down on one claw, then grip the shell and pull firmly to break it open. Remove the gills, chop the crab into large pieces, and gently crush the claws with the back of a knife.
3. Once the crab is prepared, pat it with dry starch. Heat the oil to 180°C (6 heat). Deep-fry the crab for about 1.5 minutes until it turns red all over, then remove and set aside.
4. Leave a little oil in the wok. Heat over high heat, then reduce to medium-low when the oil reaches 140°C (4 heat). Add the garlic cloves and stir-fry until slightly yellow. Add the doubanjiang, fermented black beans, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, spring onion, and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the fried crab, then add water (about 200ml), salt, light soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer for about 1 minute, then increase the heat to high. Add the green and red peppers. When the sauce has reduced by one-third, add the water starch to thicken and serve.
VII. Sichuan Style Colorful Spicy Hairy Crab
Ingredients: Yangcheng Lake hairy crab, dried chili segments, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, garlic slices, spring onion sections, salt, white pepper, cooking wine, dry starch, seafood sauce, water starch, chicken essence, sesame oil, peppercorn oil, chili oil, refined oil, fresh stock.
Method:
1. Live mud crab from the ventral part of the shell, remove the内脏 and gills. Cut off the tips of the legs and the edges of the shell. Wash the crab, then chop it into 8 pieces. Add an appropriate amount of salt and cooking wine and mix well.
2. Heat a wok over high heat and bring the refined oil to 50% heat. Dredge the cut surfaces of the crab pieces with dry starch and deep-fry until cooked (the shell should also be cooked).
3. Add more oil to the wok, heat to 40% heat, and sauté the dried chili segments and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Add the fresh stock and simmer for a moment. Then add the ginger, spring onion, garlic, and crab. Finally, add salt, cooking wine, seafood sauce, and chicken essence. Simmer for about 2 minutes, then thicken with water starch. Finally, add sesame oil, peppercorn oil, chili oil, and white pepper, toss evenly, and plate.
VIII. Hua Diao Steamed Drunken Crab
Ingredients: Hairy crab, Hua Diao wine (Shaoxing wine is best), Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns.
Method:
1. Clean the fresh hairy crabs (soak in saltwater first to let them expel dirt, then scrub them thoroughly with a brush).
2. Tie the cleaned crabs with straw ropes.
3. Place ginger slices in a basin, pour in the Hua Diao wine, and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorns. Turn the crabs over and marinate for half an hour.
4. Place the marinated crabs in a steamer, making sure to place them on their backs (this prevents the roe or paste from leaking out during steaming). Add ginger slices.
5. Shred the ginger and serve with Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar or Dahongpao vinegar.
TIPS:
When eating hairy crabs, aged vinegar is often served to enhance the flavor and cut the richness. After the meal, a cup of ginger tea is served because crab is considered a "cold" food for the stomach, and ginger tea warms it up. Some people also use yellow wine to accompany crab, for the same reason.
Who should eat less hairy crab?
Although crab meat is nutritious, it is relatively high in cholesterol, and this is especially true for the roe and paste. Therefore, many people should limit their consumption. Patients with coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or hepatitis, as well as those with weak digestion, and young children and the elderly, should also eat less or be cautious when eating crab.
Pregnant women should be especially cautious and must understand their own physical condition. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, people who often have cold hands and feet (especially women), or those with a "cold" or weak constitution, should not eat too much. Alternatively, they can drink a cup of brown sugar ginger tea after eating crab to warm the stomach, remove the fishy taste, and dispel the "cold" energy.
What should not be eaten with hairy crab?
When eating hairy crabs or within an hour after, do not drink tea. The water in tea will dilute stomach acid, and the tea can cause some components of the crab to solidify, which is not good for digestion and absorption and may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Also, be careful not to eat persimmons with crab, as tannic acid and other components in the persimmon will cause the crab protein to coagulate. This coagulated substance can ferment and spoil in the intestines, causing vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and even the formation of stones.
Similarly, you should not eat loach after eating crab. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," "Loach is sweet, neutral, and non-toxic. It can warm the middle, benefit qi, treat coughs, promote urination, and address issues with male vitality." This shows its warming nature, while crab is considered "cold" and has the opposite effect, so the two should not be eaten together.
What makes a hairy crab the best?
The sayings "Nine females, ten males" and "September for round bellies, October for pointed bellies" refer to the best time to eat crab. The female crab has a round belly, and in the ninth lunar month, its roe is full, fresh, fragrant, and delicate. The male crab has a pointed belly, and in the tenth lunar month, its roe is rich and the paste is white, with a mellow and full texture.
The commonly eaten sea crabs are mainly swimming crab, stone crab, and the lake crab is the hairy crab. Stone crab meat is juicy and sweet; swimming crab is rich and savory; and hairy crab is rich and oily. Although each has its own merits, they are all ultimate delicacies.
When selecting a hairy crab, you can refer to the following points:
1. Choose a live crab for the best quality: The crab's eyes are the most sensitive to external stimuli. When selecting, first touch the crab's eyes; a strong reaction indicates it is alive. You can also flip it over on its back to see if it can right itself, which is a sign of good health and vitality.
2. Weigh the crab in your hand; a heavy one indicates a fat and substantial crab, while a light one is likely thin and with little meat. A good hairy crab has a blue-green and hard back, a full and heavy belly. You can also inspect the legs; a crab with hard legs that are difficult to pinch is the fullest.
3. Observe the crab's plastron (belly plate); the more black it is, the fatter the crab. Gently open the plastron; a faint yellow color visible inside is a good sign.
4. Hold the crab against a light source. If the edge of the shell is opaque, it means the crab is full. If there are translucent gaps, it is relatively empty.