In the Song Dynasty, most northern diners did not know how to steam. They were keen on using the following incredible cooking methods:

First, frying: "Tokyo Menghualu" mentioned Go to the streets of Bianliang, Tokyo to sell a kind of "fried crab" (see "Tokyo Menghualu" Volume 2 "Food and Drink"). The method is as follows: wash the big crab, remove the sand, chop off the claw tips, remove the internal organs, and chop into four Segments, sprinkle with flour, fry in a pan until brown, then take them out to control the oil, dip them in the flour sauce, chew them with the shell and meat. Eating crabs like this takes away all the unique flavor of crabs, which is really a disgrace.

The second is boiling: "Drinks and Food" in the special collection of "Shi Lin Guang Ji" mentions that in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhongyuan Restaurant often made a "crab soup". The crabs were first cleaned and then chopped into four pieces. Throw it into a pot of boiling water and cook until the crab meat turns red. Finally, sprinkle salt and vinegar, drink the crab soup, and eat the crab meat.

The third is raw pickled crabs: This way of eating is the most incredible, but it was very popular in the Song Dynasty, and even raw pickled crabs appeared at the emperor’s royal banquets. It doesn't matter whether it is marinated raw, the key is to eat it raw after marinating, not boil it. Clean the crabs and chop them into pieces with a knife. Ignore any crab roe, crab paste, crab claws, or crab meat. Chop them until they are like mud. Then shovel them into a basin and use seasonings such as salt, vinegar, pepper, fennel, orange juice, and minced garlic. Mix it and eat it directly. Wu, a female cook from Pujiang in the Southern Song Dynasty, called this very vigorous "big dish" "Crab Raw" in her monograph "Zhongjilu". Fu Gong, a Jiangnan gourmet in the Southern Song Dynasty, called this dish "Crab Pu" in his monograph "Crab Book" "Hand-washing crab" means that it is very quick to make crabs without steaming or frying. As soon as the guests here wash their hands, the host over there brings a pot of raw crabs to the guests.

The fourth is "Crab Stuffed Orange": There was also a famous crab dish "Crab Stuffed Orange" in the Song Dynasty. "Shan Jia Qing Gong" records that the method of making "Crab Stuffed Orange" is: pick the crab meat and put it into hollowed oranges, put it into a steamer, and steam it with wine, vinegar and water. Serve with vinegar and salt. This dish was also a famous dish in the palace at that time. According to "Old Wulin Stories", when the queen returned to the province, the eighth of the fourteen dishes given to her by the emperor was "crab stuffed with orange".