End of September ~ before the Spring Festival: Yangtze River crabs
Nine females and ten males are the most suitable
Every year when the autumn wind blows, hairy crabs come to diners like a tide. At the tip of the tongue. Wang Chenghui said that the crab migration season (from after the cold dew to early November) is the best season to eat crabs. The crab meat during this period is thick, tender, delicious, colorful and fragrant, making it the most delicious of the year. This time period is the mature edible period of Yangtze River crabs in my country.
The Yangtze River Basin is the main producing area of ??crabs in my country, such as the well-known Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, Qidong crabs, Taihu crabs, and Subei crabs, all of which belong to the Yangtze River crabs. Hairy crabs will molt and grow many times throughout their lives, and Yangtze crabs will be on the market around the end of September.
When eating crabs in autumn, you need to differentiate between males and females to enjoy the most delicious crab feast in this season. The so-called "Nine Females and Ten Males" means that female crabs are the fattest in September of the lunar calendar, with ample and firm roe, and male crabs are the most fragrant and full of crab roe in the lunar month of October, so it is the best time to eat crabs and enjoy chrysanthemums.
Spring Festival to the end of April: Temporarily raising hairy crabs
It is difficult to guarantee the taste and nutrition
In order to realize people’s desire to eat crabs all year round, temporary hairy crab breeding appeared. That is to say, some autumn mature hairy crabs are temporarily raised in a specific low-temperature environment through technology, and then put on the market out of season to relieve the lovesickness of crab addicts.
It is difficult to temporarily raise hairy crabs. It not only involves market risks, but also faces technical difficulties. Wang Chenghui said that hairy crabs tend to lose fat easily. If the breeding environment is not good, the quality of the crabs will be affected. The taste will become worse, the crab paste will become hard, the crab roe will become less, and the nutrients will also be lost. In order to maintain the taste, farmers need to provide more animal feed, and at the same time, they can use cooling methods to delay the development of crab gonads, "so that energy and nutrients can be preserved longer."
Crabs are temporarily raised out of season for sale, so they are stocked Crab lovers usually wait until after the Spring Festival to sell temporarily raised crabs so that the hairy crabs can be on the table in spring.
End of April to mid-June: Russian and Korean wild hairy crabs
The best time to enjoy them. Short
You may not think that crabs are not always available in this season. With the prosperity of border trade, wild border trade crabs from Russia and North Korea have appeared on the tables of Chinese diners.
Wang Chenghui said that the front teeth (four teeth) of Russian and Korean hairy crabs are relatively flat compared with the hairy crabs in the Yangtze River Basin of my country. They grow in a purely wild environment without any artificial breeding. The growth environment is difficult to guarantee, so the taste is not good. The quality varies from year to year.
Due to the high latitude and low temperature, wild hairy crabs in Russia and Korea cannot reach full maturity until the third year, so the yield is extremely low, and crabs have the ability to reproduce and migrate. According to customs, Russian and Korean hairy crabs migrate from the end of April to mid-June, and the best viewing period is short, so you must try them quickly during that season.
Mid-June to the end of August: June Yellow
The shell is thin and the meat is fresh
"When you are busy, don't forget June Yellow", this folk proverb is the praise of diners for June Yellow, which is the "little freshness" among hairy crabs. "Meat", also known as "boy crab", is a hairy crab in adolescence, often on the market in mid-June every year.
Wang Chenghui said that June yellow is known as "green crab" and has small size. (The weight is generally around 2 taels), the shell is thin and crisp, the taste is delicious, the fishy smell is strong, and the limb meat is less. You can try it during this short crab eating season.
During this period, male crabs are mainly eaten. At this time, the female crab is still very small, about one or two, and is not suitable for consumption. Because it is still "underage", there is no crab paste in the June roe, only crab roe. Although it is not as big as the adult hairy crab, it is different from the hard texture of the adult hairy crab. Crab roe, the crab roe of June yellow is delicious and plump. Choose the crab roe of June yellow with swollen body and yellow belly, and make "Jiujiu yellow noodles" and "June yellow fried rice cake" to satisfy your craving.
From the end of August to the end of September: Liaohe crabs
Slightly smaller in size
Liaohe crabs and Yangtze river crabs are both river crabs. Yangtze river crabs are southern crabs, while Liaohe crabs are often called northern crabs. Due to the reproductive migration patterns of Liaohe crabs and local climate characteristics, Liaohe crabs have been on the market since the end of August, and September is the peak fishing period.
Under normal circumstances, Liaohe crabs are smaller than Yangtze River crabs. This is because in the Yangtze River Basin. The temperature of the Yangtze River crab means that the Yangtze River crab sheds its shell one more time per year than the Liaohe crab, and therefore grows one more time. However, in recent years, in order to increase the size of the Liaohe crab, many farmers will raise some crabs until 2 to 3 years before fishing and selling them. , the size can also be compared with Yangtze River crab.
Wang Chenghui said that as long as the crab breeding environment is high-quality, with abundant aquatic products, clear water quality, and plenty of animal feed, Liaohe crabs can also become high-quality hairy crabs with green shells, white bellies, golden claws, and yellow hairs.
Precautions for eating crabs
1. Crabs should be steamed and cooked thoroughly. Do not eat raw crabs
Crabs feed on animal carcasses or humus, so crabs The body surface, gills and gastrointestinal tract are covered with various types of bacteria and sludge.
Some people do not steam the crabs thoroughly because they have not washed them clean, or they eat drunken crabs or pickled crabs raw and eat the germs or parasites in the crabs. How can they not get sick? Steaming If you cook it thoroughly before eating it, you won't have this problem.
2. Crabs should be eaten alive, and dead crabs should not be eaten
The stiffness period and autolysis period after death of river crabs are greatly shortened, and the bacteria in the crabs will multiply rapidly and spread to Crab meat can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea in eaters.
The shell of fresh live crabs is blue-black and shiny, with a full navel and a white abdomen. The shell of a dying crab is yellow, the legs are soft, and it is difficult to turn it right.
3. Crabs should be steamed and eaten immediately, do not store them
In case you cannot finish them, the remaining crabs must be stored in a clean, cool and ventilated place, and must be returned to the pot before eating. Cook and steam thoroughly.
4. Don’t chew crabs when eating crabs
When eating crabs, you should pay attention to four cleanings after opening the lid:
Clean the crab stomach, which is the crab lid. First, eat the crab lid part first, use a small spoon to scoop out the crab stomach part in the middle, and gently suck the crab roe wrapped around the outside clean. Be careful not to break the triangular cone-shaped crab stomach in the middle. If there is dirt inside, discard it.
After eating the crab cover, it’s the turn of the crab body. First use scissors to cut off the excess crab legs and mouth; use the handle of a spoon to pick out a hexagonal piece in the middle of the crab body, which is The heart portion of the crab should be discarded.
Crab intestines, that is, a black line from the crab stomach to the crab umbilicus; crab gills, that is, the two rows of soft eyebrow-shaped things that grow on the crab's abdomen, should be removed.
5. Eat less, not too much
Crab meat is cold in nature, and those with spleen and stomach deficiency should pay special attention to avoid abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Not suitable for consumption by five types of patients
1. People with allergies.
2. People with weak spleen and stomach.
3. Patients suffering from colds, fever, stomachache and diarrhea.
4. People with chronic gastritis, duodenal ulcer, cholecystitis, gallstones and active hepatitis.
5. People with coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and high blood lipids should eat less or not eat it because crab roe contains high cholesterol.