November 16, 2005
Hairy Crabs 大閘蟹
The very first thing I "attacked" when I arrived in HK was the hairy crab. I wasn't about to miss out on it this time round. When I was in HK this time last year, I didn't eat a single one so I couldn't possibly miss out on the chance again. After all, the hairy crab season only beckons once a year.
Hairy crabs are ubiquitous in HK at this time of the year. At every other street corner there are hairy crabs being sold. Posters and TV ads of hairy crabs grab your attention, and hopefully your gullet.
My aunt bought two hairy crabs and steamed them at home. When you buy hairy crabs, a small bottle of vinegar, a packet of sugar, a piece of ginger and some leaves called 紫蘇叶 (sorry, I don't know the English name for it). The idea is to put the crabs on top of the leaves in the steamer so the fragrance from the leaves infuse into the crabs.
The best hairy crabs come from Yang Cheng Lake (洋澄湖), a lake in China's Jiangsu Province (江苏省), not far from Shanghai. Take note that there are many fakes around and many shops claim to sell crabs from Yang Cheng Lake but really don't. The genuine crabs are supposed to have serial numbers imprinted on them using a laser.
The best hairy crabs gourmets can purportedly eat the whole crab such that the shell and legs remain intact after they have devoured all the crab has to offer. You can learn how to eat a hairy crab here. Me? I can't be bothered. Finesse and panache in the art of hairy crab eating can go out of the window. Just eat lah! So I just mangle the crab.
I loved the roe. It was so rich, smooth and delicious. The flesh was OK, but really, the prized item is the roe. So nice, so good. Yum, yum, yum.
Hairy crabs are supposed to be "cooling" in nature, so a cup of ginger tea is usually served at the end of the hairy crab pig-out session. The ginger tea serves to neutralise the cooling effect thus restoring balance in the body. But the crabs are supposedly best served with Shaoxing wine which also has the same neutralising effect.
Hairy crabs, you've become my best friends for the month of November. ;p
Posted by DSD at November 16, 2005 10:31 AMhi DSD, only 2 hairy crabs? They're kinda small and if I remember correctly, the last time I had them (courtesy of a visiting friend from Shanghai), we whacked about 6 each... oops, better check my cholesterol levels!
Posted by: eatzycath at November 16, 2005 10:59 AMyeah, i was a little worried about eating too many as a friend told me pimples started appearing on his face after he ate a lot! But still, i "kena" pimples...
Posted by: dsd at November 16, 2005 11:43 AMI just had hairy crab last night.. it's excellent! i'm still thinking about it now, slurp! ;-)
Posted by: Piggy at November 16, 2005 2:03 PM