The female crab is full of orange-red crab yellow, which looks like jade. It is bright in color, oily and fragrant, and has obvious graininess when eaten in the mouth.
The essence of male crab is crab paste, which is crystal clear in color, translucent and gel-like, and has a very sticky taste, which makes people leave a fragrance on their teeth and cheeks and can't stop eating one after another.
This is the biggest difference between male and female crabs, and it is also the essence of hairy crabs. You can choose your favorite crab according to everyone's different preferences.
If you like the taste of crab roe, then choose to eat mother crab. If you prefer crab paste, then choose male crab.
So, how to distinguish male crabs from female crabs?
The way is: look at the crab belly.
In the abdomen of hairy crabs, there is a crab navel that can be lifted. The crab navel of the male crab is a triangle-like shape, also known as "pointed navel".
The crab umbilical cord of the female crab is a large circle, also known as "mass umbilical cord".
By the way, when eating crabs, we need to break the navel and discard it, and remove the black crab intestines inside. If it's a male crab, just throw away the whole crab navel.
If it is a female crab, there is still a lot of crab roe left in the crab navel after the crab intestines are taken out, so don't waste it!
Next, let me talk about the best time to eat crabs.
As the saying goes, there are nine females and ten males. Due to the physiological structure of hairy crabs, female crabs mature before male crabs. In September of the lunar calendar, it is the best time to eat female crabs. Full crab roe, condensed in chunks, smells delicious.
Many famous dishes are made of crab roe, such as crab roe, crab roe lion's head, crab roe tofu, etc. The delicacy of these dishes is inseparable from the delicacy of crab roe.
In October of the lunar calendar, it's time to eat male crabs. At this time, the male crab is mature and full of crab paste, which even lifts the back shell of the male crab high.
Crab paste is gelatinous, quivering in the air, emitting an attractive aroma. It is very sticky when eaten in the mouth, as if to stick your lips and tongue together. It tastes very unique and delicious.
So, if you prefer crab roe, choose the female crab. If you prefer crab paste, choose male crab.
In addition, you can also choose according to the time period. If it is around September of the lunar calendar, when the female crab is mature and full, then choose to eat the female crab. If the male crab is fatter and stronger around October of the lunar calendar, then choose the male crab.