CATDOLL : CATDOLL: In previous years, in which month did Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs become available on the market?

1. In previous years, in which month did Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs become available on the market?

First, let’s talk about the season to eat Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs: July

However, the crabs at this time are not fully mature, also known as "June yellow", which are actually young crabs of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. They taste good but have little meat. However, there are basically few Yangcheng Lake crabs at this time, so they can be ignored. The crabs on the market are all from other waters.

The really delicious Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs appear in: September-November

Yangcheng Lake opens to the public in September, and breeding areas like Xiewang Palace must start fishing on the opening date. At this time, Yangcheng Lake crabs are all mature and have crab roe and crab paste. Female crabs are eaten in October, and male crabs are eaten in November.

Crabs start to become unpalatable in December

After the male and female crabs mate, the crab meat is not as tender, and the crab roe and crab paste are gone. At this time, people generally no longer eat it because it is not tasty anymore.

In summary: hairy crabs are available in all seasons, but Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are available from September to December, not in other months.

2. What happens to crabs in winter?

If a crab is unwilling to move, it is not necessarily dead. If you touch the top of its eyes with your finger and the eyes move, it is alive. Here is some professional knowledge for you. Crabs have reproductive migratory characteristics. After going to the sea, sexually mature female crabs have to molt once before mating and laying eggs. Only after molting can they mate with male crabs. After mating, the female crab's shell gradually hardens and it is ready to lay eggs. December to March of the following year is the peak season for crabs to mate and lay eggs. They can mate and lay eggs under salinity conditions of 8~33‰. After mating, when the water temperature is 9~12 degrees, eggs can be laid in about 7~16 hours. A female crab weighing 100~200 grams can lay 200,000~900,000 eggs at a time. When the temperature is suitable, the eggs can hatch into larvae after 1~2 months. Crabs lay eggs only once in their lifetime, and the eggs are attached to their abdominal limbs. In the late spring or early summer of the following year, the female crabs migrate to the river estuary and the eggs hatch. At this time, they become old and will die soon, without even having time to see their children.

Therefore, there are very few crabs that can live for two years. Generally, farmed crabs spend the winter in caves, but most of them do not survive the second year due to the above reasons.

3. What are the best things to eat for crabs in November?

Boiled hairy crabs are more delicious;

1. It tastes cleaner: Boiling the crab in water can give the crab body another bath, making it cleaner. Although the temperature of steam is high, it cannot rinse the crab body.

2. The meat tastes more tender: The temperature of steam is higher than that of boiling water, and the crab is suspended in the air, which makes it easier for the crab to dehydrate, and the crab meat will easily become tough.

3. It tastes better: Steaming crabs is not good for absorbing the flavor. There seems to be no dispute that the perfect match for hairy crabs is rice wine. However, steaming crabs cannot allow rice wine to directly enter the body of hairy crabs, but boiling crabs can. Add a large amount of rice wine to the water in which you boil crabs. For every pound of crabs, add 20 ml of rice wine. Then add a large amount of salt. For every pound of crabs, add 5-8 grams of salt. Salt has a strong osmotic pressure, which can penetrate the flavor of the rice wine you poured into the body of the hairy crabs. Don't worry, the hairy crabs will not be salty because you put a lot of water.

When the hairy crabs are cooked, as soon as you open the crab shell, the aroma of wine will hit your nose. When you eat the crab meat, you don’t need to drink alcohol!

Hairy Crab

Main ingredients: hairy crab

Accessories: onion, ginger, star anise, pepper

Seasoning: Erguotou liquor; rice wine; salt; vinegar; steamed fish soy sauce; sugar

How to prevent hairy crabs from biting your hands? Sometimes I don't want to play with hairy crabs because they are too energetic and there is no way to clean them. If you are not careful, they will pinch your hands! There is a way. After buying hairy crabs, don't clean them first. Put them in a container with a lid. Pour half a bowl of high-proof Erguotou liquor into it and immediately cover the pot. I stewed it for 50 minutes and it got drunk. No matter how you wash it, it will ignore you!

During this time, prepare the dipping sauce first: chop the ginger, add vinegar, steamed fish soy sauce and sugar and mix well.

After the hairy crabs are drunk, wash them and set aside. Put water in the pot, not more than half of the crabs, add onions, ginger, star anise, and peppercorns. Add 20 ml of rice wine and 5-8 grams of salt per pound of crabs. After putting the hairy crabs in, bring to a boil over high heat, simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, and you can eat it.