exploring and discovered new things- like hairy crab! October is
hairy-crab season here so we were treated to taste one of Shanghai's
favorite delicacies. They come from Yangcheng lake, (about 2 hrs away-
T and I visited there in 2008) These little guys are known for having
a clump of fur on their claws and hair on some other limbs. The first
time I saw them, the fur was all matted and wet and I thought it was a
chewed piece of swampy brown gum.
Hairy crabs are known for being sweeter and their "butter" or "brains"
as I call them is bright orange and super rich. In a trade for flavor,
they are small- about the size of your fist. I seldom eat hairy crab
since its so expensive, ranging from 25-200rmb ($4-$30 USD) depending
on the restaurant. We bought them off a little shop in the alley. We
learned that the crabs are sold as couples- one male and one female.
(I also learned how to tell genders apart- by their belly plates) The
fur on the claws is fine and soft, but the hair growing out of the arm
shells is stiff and bristley like a horsehair brush.
We steamed them and and ate them with garlic butter- YUM!
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mitten_crab
And they are also sold in vending machines, ALIVE. http://gizmodo.com/5670648/this-vending-machine-sells-live-crabs
ciao!
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