But eating crabs requires patience, because sea crabs are not only "armed" with copper skin and iron shells, but also criss-crossing diaphragms. When eating crab meat, you must carefully peel off the shell membrane.
Classification of crabs
Divide crabs into six grades. First, crabs in lake crab, Yangcheng and Jiaxing are the best. Second, river crabs, especially those in Jiujiang and Wuhu. The third is the river crab; The fourth is crabs; The fifth is the ditch crab; At the bottom of the list are sea crabs. Even sea crabs are the first in the group. Many high-end restaurants in the mainland airlift fresh sea crabs from the seaside for dignitaries to enjoy.
There are many kinds of crabs, which can be divided into five categories: Eriocheir sinensis, Eriocheir sinensis, lake crab, Eriocheir sinensis and Eriocheir sinensis, but the crab in Shijiu Lake is what I admire most.
Shijiu Lake is a large-scale river and lake with a total area of 320,000 mu. It is a national wetland nature reserve with fresh water and abundant aquatic plants. It has the reputation of "fighting for gold at sunrise and fighting for silver at night". It is rich in rare aquatic products such as crabs, freshwater shrimps, mandarin fish, soft-shelled turtles and freshwater pearls. Shijiuhu crab, in particular, is famous at home and abroad, and was recognized as a brand-name product at China International Agricultural Expo in 200 1 year.
The crab in Shijiu Lake is different from other crabs in that its back shell is bronzed and shiny, and its bottom shell is white. It is like a flawless white jasper with golden claws and reddish-brown feet. Known as red hairy crabs with golden feet, they are big and fat, ranging from 342 to 672. It crawls very fast and crawls freely on the smooth glass plate. Its meat is tender, fat-rich, buttery, nutritious and extremely tender. Rich in essential amino acids, especially glutamic acid, glycine, arginine and proline, and rich in protein. In today's domestic market, its price is as high as that of sea cucumber and abalone, and it is known as the "three treasures of aquatic products".
Shijiuhu crab is the best, and the freshest taste is not as good as Shijiuhu crab. Why are crabs in Shijiu Lake so delicious? Why golden feet and red hair? Why can you crawl freely on a smooth glass plate? Let's start with the history of Shijiu Lake: It is said that a long time ago, Shijiu Lake was not a lake, surrounded by mountains and cliffs. Due to crustal movement, landslides and ground fissures, it has become a big lake with white waves. What does this have to do with crabs? The key to solving this mystery is the soil at the bottom of the lake. The rocks at the bottom of Shijiu Lake are red, such as Songka, combined with yellow sand and yellow mud. The bottom of the lake is hard, and crabs have a good habit of digging holes. Its claws are honed into golden feet and red claws in hard soil. The water in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River meets Shijiu Lake, and then flows downstream, and crabs crawl against the water. In addition, Shijiu Lake is rich in aquatic plants and snails. It is just strong, vigorous, wild, like a fierce tiger, bared its teeth, full of pride, smooth and lovely.
Tang Zeng, a famous poet at the end of the Tang Dynasty, praised the crabs in Shijiu Lake in a poem: "In October, the frost cleared in the lake field, and the fragrant crabs were like tigers at the beginning of late rice. There is a saying that "the trawl catches more matches, and the basket carries water and goods". It describes the late autumn season, which is the peak season for crab catching. By the lake with fragrant rice flowers, I am busy trawling and enjoying a bumper harvest. The big crab like a tiger is being put into a basket for transshipment. The poem is permeated with the flavor of life in Jiangnan water town and the praise of crabs in Shijiu Lake.
According to "Dangtu County Records", there are aquatic crabs in Dangtu, including lake crab, Eriocheir sinensis and Eriocheir sinensis ... There are golden feet and red hair by the lake, which is a royal tribute. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty went to the south of the Yangtze River to eat its flavor, which was highly appreciated and became the "king of crabs". 1976 During Nixon's visit to China, Shijiu Lake Crab was listed as a famous state banquet for American guests. President Nixon gave a thumbs-up at dinner and repeatedly praised "good, good". In recent years, Shijiu Lake crabs are not only supplied locally, but also exported to Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, and are favored by compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
There are many ways to eat crabs in Shijiu Lake, such as steaming, boiling, braising in soy sauce, getting drunk and soaking in Chili sauce. You can also make "crab paste soup", "crab king steamed stuffed bun", "crab fresh mess" and so on. If cooking is used as the ingredient, lake fish is cooked with lake water, and a few shijiuhu crabs are added, it really deserves its reputation and tastes delicious. The crabs in Shijiu Lake are delicious, fresh and sweet, and the meat is tender but not scattered. After eating, all the delicacies are tasteless and have a feeling of "eternal amber". Maybe you don't know it has six flavors: crab meat is white and crystal clear, which is better than white fish; Thigh shredded pork is short and slender, which tastes like Gambella. Shredded pork calves are long and tender, as beautiful as whitebait; Crab pincers are thick and dense, and taste sweet and crisp; Crab yellow tastes yellow and sweet, and smells fragrant; After eating, the mouth is full of lingering fragrance, which is endless and wonderful. Let you really taste the delicious taste of "a barrel full of rubies, Su Xiang with double claws". Yes, Shijiuhu crab is a delicious dish, full of tender jade, and its shell is red and fragrant.