It is generally recommended to steam crabs in cold water.

1. Steaming crabs in hot water can easily break their legs. Because the instant contact with hot water in the pot is too high, and the crab itself lives in cold water all year round, it naturally reacts violently to high temperatures. Even if its legs and feet are tied, it will struggle crazily, leading to the eventual breakage of the crab legs.

2. Crabs steamed in hot water tend to turn yellow. Similarly, if the temperature is too high, crabs will struggle violently. During the struggle, the crabs will easily turn over, causing the crab roe to flow out from the gaps in the body and be wasted.

Tips

1. Don’t eat dead crabs. When choosing fresh swimming crabs, first look at the crab's back which is cyan and hard, and its abdomen which is full and thick. You can also pinch the crab legs. The legs are hard and difficult to pinch. This will make the crabs fresher and plumper.

2. Steamed crabs must be steamed with the crab shell facing down and the crab belly facing up to lock in the umami flavor and prevent it from being lost.

3. When you buy fresh crabs, first carefully scrub the surface with a small brush. Also scrub the sediment in the gaps between the crab legs and claws. Then open the faucet and rinse the crab body with running water. When scrubbing crabs, use your index finger and thumb to hold the small triangular lid on the crab shell and belly so that the crab claws will not pinch your hands.