CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Why do fishermen on the seashore say they have made a fortune when they catch swimming crabs? How expensive are swimming crabs?

Why do fishermen on the seashore say they have made a fortune when they catch swimming crabs? How expensive are swimming crabs?

Whether you are fishing by the sea or fishing by boat, the saying goes! Crabs follow the current when crossing the river. If you can encounter groups of swimming crabs crossing the current on the sea, and the crabs are not only large but also numerous, then you are going to get rich. Sea fishing is generally done by bottom trawling. In recent years, the number of swimming crabs at sea has been quite large! The price of swimming crabs each year depends on the season, fatness, and quantity! The price also fluctuates. According to the swimming crabs caught at sea this spring, the dock price is generally 50 to 60 yuan per catty. There are very few swimming crabs during the fishing ban period at sea, and the retail price in the local seafood market in Qingdao is more than 100 yuan per catty. After the sea opens, especially in autumn when there are many swimming crabs, the price will be much cheaper, generally around 30 to 40 to 20 yuan.

Swimming crabs are very rich in nutrients, can grow to a relatively large size, and have more meat. If you are good at cooking swimming crabs, you can make them very delicious. The value of swimming crabs can be seen from two aspects: one is its economic value. Swimming crabs are top-quality wild seafood. The annual output of swimming crabs in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea alone is about 15,000 to 25,000 tons. They have very important economic value. They can be eaten normally and can be processed into canned food. Even the shells of swimming crabs are sold as industrial products. Swimming crabs can be said to be full of treasures. The second is its nutritional value.

Swimming crabs have a good ability to adapt to the environment. Their colors can change with the environment they live in. They eat a wide variety of food, including fish, shrimp, algae and yam plants. They are omnivorous animals. Sometimes when food is scarce, they will even eat their own kind. Prices vary from region to region. Don't just focus on the price of crabs. It mainly depends on where the crabs are from. For example, hairy crabs are everywhere for a few dollars, but why are authentic Yangcheng Lake crabs so expensive? Therefore, you can't just look at the price of anything. You have to pay attention to whether the quality of the product itself is worth the value. There must be a reason why it is expensive, and there is also a reason why it is cheap.

This is because the price of swimming crabs is around 30 to 50 yuan per catty, and many people who want to eat well will definitely buy several catties.

The general price is around 50 to 20 yuan. Swimming crabs are very rich in nutrients, can grow to a relatively large size, and have more meat.

The price of swimming crabs is about 300 yuan. The nutritional value of swimming crabs is very high and the market demand is very large, so the price is relatively expensive.

Which do you think is better, swimming crab or hairy crab?

Thanks for the invitation, Wukong!

Swimming crab

Swimming crabs cannot be farmed in freshwater because they live in the ocean and their survival rate is greatly reduced when they leave the high-salt, high-oxygen environment. The shape of the swimming crab is like a shuttle on a loom, so it is called "swimming crab" and is a seafood product.

Hairy Crab

The most obvious difference between hairy crabs and swimming crabs is their living environment. Hairy crabs grow in fresh water, while swimming crabs grow in the sea.

Chinese hairy crabs are divided into roe crabs and meat crabs. Roe crabs are female crabs, named for their plump roe. On the contrary, meat crabs are male crabs, named for their enlarged navel and claws and distinct layers of crab meat. Any dish that needs crab meat cannot do without it, and it is a very appetizing food.

The crab roe is fragrant and the crab meat is sweet.

As for which of these two types of crabs is more delicious, everyone has different tastes and opinions, and different standards for evaluating food, so it is difficult to evaluate.

The shell of hairy crab is relatively hard, and the meat is very firm and delicate whether it is steamed or boiled, so it tastes sweet.

Although the swimming crab is large in size, its meat is relatively soft and has a stronger fishy smell, so it tastes more delicious.

People who should not eat it: patients with liver disease, cardiovascular disease, weak spleen and stomach, cholecystitis and gallstones.

Whether it tastes good or not is a subjective feeling, and there is no specific answer. Moreover, hairy crabs and swimming crabs are completely different in style, and suitable for different cooking methods. It is meaningless to compare them. However, we can talk about the characteristics of the two crabs:

Hairy crab: The crab meat is fresh and sweet, but the crab roe and crab roe are the key points. It is seasonal and best steamed.

Strictly speaking, hairy crabs are not freshwater crabs. Hairy crabs are widely distributed in salty areas. They hatch in freshwater environments when young, then swim upstream to freshwater to grow, and migrate to seawater to reproduce after sexual maturity. This special life trajectory has created a special personality for hairy crabs, which are almost outliers among freshwater aquatic products. When it comes to hairy crabs, the most common phrase we say is "golden autumn season, full of roe and fat". Yes, the crab meat of hairy crabs is also very outstanding. The crab meat is rich in glycine and inosinic acid, fresh and sweet. Although the size is not large, the meat yield is not low. However, the "core competitiveness" of hairy crabs must be its crab roe and crab roe, that is, the most edible part of hairy crabs is the high roe.

The "crab roe" of female crabs includes its hepatopancreas and ovaries; the "crab paste" of male crabs is its accessory glands and their secretions. This is common sense, which also shows that the consumption of hairy crabs has strict requirements on the season. Only in the season of sexual maturity can we taste qualified hairy crabs, because the female crabs' gonads develop earlier than male crabs, so there is a saying that "the navel is round in September and pointed in October". The rich saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and a large amount of free amino acids in the crab roe and crab paste give it a fresh and sticky taste. Because it is rich in animal polysaccharides, the high-quality roe is sweet. Because of this, the most suitable and common way to cook hairy crabs is to steam them, which is the characteristic of hairy crabs.

Swimming crab: crab meat and crab roe are equally good, and there are many different ways to cook them.

Swimming crabs are typical marine crabs. In a broad sense, all crabs in the family Portunidae can be called "swimming crabs", so blue crabs are actually swimming crabs. In a narrow sense, swimming crabs are the genus Portunus. There are more than one kind of swimming crabs. The most common ones are the three-spotted swimming crab, the red star swimming crab, the deep-sea swimming crab, the rusty spotted crab, the good swimming crab, the Japanese crab, etc.

Swimming crabs live in salt water all their lives. They can swim thanks to their highly specialized last pair of legs. In order to adapt to the salt water environment, they store more free amino acids and amine compounds in their cells to balance the high osmotic pressure of seawater. Therefore, the meat of sea crabs represented by swimming crabs is usually very delicious. In terms of the sweetness of crab meat, swimming crabs and hairy crabs are comparable, but the meat of hairy crabs is firm, while the meat of swimming crabs is relatively tender. The season for eating swimming crabs varies depending on the species. Generally speaking, swimming crabs can be eaten much longer throughout the year than hairy crabs.

The taste of different swimming crabs is different. The crab roe and crab paste have a very mellow taste, but compared with the hairy crab, it is still a little less explosive. Among the swimming crabs, the three-spotted swimming crab and the rusty crab have the best crab paste. If it is fresh enough, of course, the swimming crab is suitable for steaming, but at the same time, the swimming crab is also suitable for more methods.

During the breeding season, the yellow and fat swimming crabs are always impressive. Ningbo's traditional delicacy, red-roe pickled crabs, are fresh and sweet raw crabs that are slightly marinated with salty brine and white wine. One bite is like swallowing the entire blue ocean. Juicy and delicious ingredients such as swimming crabs are also particularly suitable for pairing with ingredients that absorb flavors, so there are delicious dishes such as swimming crab fried rice cakes, swimming crab vermicelli casserole, and red y stewed rice.

This is the difference between hairy crabs and swimming crabs. It all depends on personal preference.

My conclusion is: if you only consider the taste, hairy crabs win!

Next, I will compare the swimming crabs and hairy crabs from various angles.

First round of PK: Size

First, let’s take a look at the beautiful photos of the two sides in the battle. This is the swimming crab:

This is the hairy crab:

It is obvious that swimming crabs are larger in size than hairy crabs. A hairy crab weighing about 5 taels is considered relatively large, while swimming crabs can reach about 8 taels in size.

In terms of size, the swimming crab has a slight advantage.

Second round of competition: Crab meat flavor

The crab meat of swimming crab is obviously different from that of hairy crab. Swimming crab is larger and easier to eat than hairy crab, but its meat is a bit sandy and delicious, but not thick enough and has a poor taste.

The crab meat of hairy crabs is tender, white, firm and elastic. Especially the crab meat of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs has a sweet aftertaste, which is unmatched by hairy crabs from other places.

In addition, swimming crabs are sea crabs, and they have an unavoidable fishy smell, which is stronger than that of hairy crabs, which are river crabs. Therefore, hairy crabs, which have delicate and elegant meat, are more favored by ancient Chinese literati, especially the claws of hairy crabs, which are their favorite. "Holding a wine glass in the right hand and the claws in the left hand, floating in the wine pool, is enough for a lifetime."

When it comes to the taste of crab meat, hairy crabs have the upper hand.

The third round of PK: Crab roe flavor

You have to vote for the hairy crabs this round!

The roe of female crabs is like golden agar, "the bulging shells and fragrant red fat blocks".

The crab roe of male crabs is equally delicious, crystal clear, sticky, fresh and fragrant.

Crab roe and crab paste have always been the most essential parts of hairy crabs, which is unmatched by any other type of crab.

Although swimming crabs also have crab roe, the quantity and quality of them cannot compare to those of hairy crabs.

Fourth round of competition: price

The price of swimming crabs is much more affordable than that of hairy crabs. You can buy a swimming crab weighing about half a pound for twenty or thirty yuan.

The price of hairy crabs is higher, especially Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, because the breeding cost is very high, and the market demand is large and the supply is insufficient to meet the demand. Therefore, swimming crabs win over hairy crabs in price competition.

In summary, I think swimming crab is a "delicious ingredient". How do we usually cook swimming crab? Swimming crab with scallion and ginger? Spicy crab? Swimming crab with vermicelli? Swimming crab is cheap, has plenty of crab meat, and tastes delicious. No matter which cooking method is used, it can be cooked into a delicious dish.

The hairy crab is a delicacy in itself. When we eat hairy crab, we usually steam it. It does not need any extra seasoning. Its original and natural flavor is the most mouth-watering "finale" on the table.

Therefore, I think that in terms of taste, hairy crabs are more delicious than swimming crabs.

However, if we consider factors such as price and cost-effectiveness, swimming crabs may be more affordable.

Those who say hairy crabs are delicious have never eaten good sea-caught crabs. A swimming crab weighs more than one pound. It is wild. In September, it costs 180 to 300 yuan per pound in Dalian, Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao and other coastal areas. If you haven't eaten it, don't make random comments! I know many people who say hairy crabs are delicious. I took them to eat real sea-caught swimming crabs, and they all thought they were much more delicious than hairy crabs. Because the swimming crabs they eat are farmed crabs weighing 20 to 30 pounds in the market. Although they are alive, they are not fresh. They have just shed their shells and the shells are not hard. How can they be delicious?

Chinese hairy crabs vs. swimming crabs? When I was a kid, I couldn't tell the difference. I grew up in the countryside and used to catch wild river crabs by the river. They were small, weighing only about one or two ounces, but they tasted great. Now it's the season of "autumn wind blows, crab feet itch, chrysanthemums bloom, and crabs come to eat", and foodies are getting restless again. Which one should I choose, swimming crabs or Chinese hairy crabs? Which one tastes better? This is probably another problem faced by people with difficulty making choices, so let me share my opinion.

First is the swimming crab. The most conspicuous part of the swimming crab is the two pointed corners on its shell. You have to be careful when holding it. There are also three raised points in the middle of the shell. The overall shape is like a shuttle, hence the name "swimming crab".

Advantages of swimming crab:

1. The swimming crab is a sea crab. Its color is brighter and will change with the surrounding environment, so its color is richer than that of the hairy crab.

2. The size of swimming crabs is larger than that of hairy crabs. Unlike hairy crabs which only weigh 30 or 40 grams, swimming crabs weigh 80 grams and have more meat.

3. Both swimming crabs and hairy crabs are rich in nutrients such as protein and minerals, but the nutritional value of swimming crabs is slightly higher than that of hairy crabs.

4. The price of swimming crabs is much lower than that of hairy crabs, which is affordable for most people and relatively cost-effective to eat.

The second is the hairy crab, also known as the Chinese mitten crab. There are many legends about the origin of the name of the hairy crab. The hairy crab is a river crab that lives in freshwater lakes and rivers. Its claws are covered with fluff and its body is nearly round.

Advantages of hairy crabs:

1. The taste of hairy crabs is fresher than that of swimming crabs, and the fishy smell is not so strong. They are delicious if simply steamed or boiled without adding any seasoning.

2. The meat of hairy crab is tender and firm, while the meat of swimming crab is relatively coarse and loose.

3. The hairy crab has more roe than the swimming crab, and the delicious roe is a favorite of many people.

4. Hairy crabs are easy to store and transport, while sea crabs cannot leave seawater. River crabs are different and only need fresh water.

I wonder if you have a clearer understanding of these two crabs after reading the advantages of swimming crabs and hairy crabs above. In summary, if you want to eat more meat, more affordable, spicy crabs, crab paste, and crab roe, then eat swimming crabs; if you want to eat crab roe and tender meat, then eat hairy crabs.

Finally, although crabs are good, don’t eat too many of them, especially river crabs. Don’t eat dead crabs and don’t eat them with persimmons. Pregnant women and people with weak constitutions should not eat too many of them. And I’d like to remind you to eat female crabs in September.

I am a native islander, and I have eaten both swimming crabs and hairy crabs. Of course, I eat more swimming crabs. I personally think swimming crabs are more delicious. Whether the ingredients are delicious or not can be identified by a very simple cooking method, that is, adding soup. Seafood can generally be added to soup, and MSG, chicken essence, etc. are not needed. Adding them is superfluous. Swimming crabs can be cut into pieces and added to soup, or the crab roe can be used alone to add soup. The latter tastes more delicious. Let me ask, can hairy crabs be added to soup? For islanders, who are used to eating seafood, most of the river seafood has a clear river mud taste. This is okay for hairy crabs, so islanders don’t object to it. Of course, the crab paste and crab roe of hairy crabs do taste good, but that’s all. As for the taste of the meat, it’s not very good. I personally think that hairy crabs are more about culture. After all, culture has been dominated by inland people since ancient times. For example, the famous crab eight pieces are a cultural way of eating developed for hairy crabs. Therefore, swimming crabs do not seem so high-end. After getting used to eating hairy crabs, you naturally won’t think that swimming crabs are more delicious.

Swimming crabs and hairy crabs are two completely different species. The former is a saltwater crab, while the latter is a freshwater crab, or more accurately, a brackish freshwater crab. The two are very different in terms of cooking methods and taste. Do you really want to say which one is the most delicious? Let's first take a look at their respective characteristics, and then say which one is the most delicious.

Hairy crab: The most popular crab in China, the Yangcheng Lake hairy crab is the most famous one, and it is a long-standing delicacy in China. The selling point of hairy crab is its crab roe and crab paste, which is the main reason for its fame.

The best time to eat hairy crabs is in August and October of the lunar calendar. There is a saying that goes, "The navel is round in September and pointed in October, hold the claws and drink wine under the chrysanthemum sky." It means that eating female hairy crabs in September is the time of the year when the crab roe is the fullest and the meat is fresh and firm. In October of the lunar calendar, it is the best time to eat male hairy crabs, when the crab roe is plump and delicious, and is called a delicacy by foodies.

(Note: To distinguish male and female crabs, look at the navel on their bellies. The navel on male crabs is a small triangle, while the navel on female crabs is a larger oval. The yellow substance inside the body is called crab roe (crab eggs) in female crabs and crab paste in male crabs. This is how all species of crabs can be distinguished.)

Hairy crabs are usually steamed with ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce, or fried with rice cakes. There are relatively few other ways to cook them.

Swimming crab: One of the largest crabs in China, it is commonly eaten by people in coastal areas. The best time to eat it is in mid-to-late April, or more precisely around the Grain Rain, when the crabs are at their plumpest. Although they are also available in autumn, they are not as plump.

Comparison between the two: Swimming crabs are bigger and have more meat, white in color, delicate in texture, and creamy. They are very delicious, with the characteristics of sea crabs, and a light seawater flavor, which can be said to be mellow and fragrant. Perhaps for people who are not from coastal areas, they think it smells like the fishy smell of the sea.

The biggest feature of swimming crabs is that even if they are steamed without dipping sauce, they still taste good. They are naturally juicy and delicious. In particular, the claws have a lot of meat, which is stringy and has a hint of sweetness, giving them a unique flavor.

In this regard, hairy crabs are inferior, and they taste good only when dipped in sauce, and there is not much meat in the claws of hairy crabs. Swimming crabs can be cooked in more ways and have more diverse flavors.

So I personally think that swimming crabs are delicious, but of course everyone has different tastes and eating habits, and everyone has their own preferences. So which one do you like?

Swimming crabs and hairy crabs are two completely different species. The former is a saltwater crab, while the latter is a freshwater crab, or more accurately, a brackish freshwater crab. The two are very different in terms of cooking methods and taste. Do you really want to say which one is the most delicious? Let's first take a look at their respective characteristics, and then say which one is the most delicious.

Hairy crab: the most popular crab in China, Yangcheng Lake hairy crab is the most famous one, and it is a long-standing delicacy in China. The selling point of hairy crab is that it is characterized by crab roe and crab paste, which is the main reason for its fame. The best time to eat hairy crab is in August and October of the lunar calendar. There is a saying that goes like this: "The navel is round in September and pointed in October, hold the claws and drink wine in the chrysanthemum sky". It means that eating female hairy crabs in September of the lunar calendar is the time of the year when the crab roe is the fullest and the meat is fresh and firm. The best time to eat male hairy crabs is in October of the lunar calendar, when the crab paste is plump and is called a delicacy by foodies.

(Note: To distinguish male and female crabs, look at the navel on their bellies. The navel on male crabs is a small triangle, while the navel on female crabs is a larger oval. The yellow substance inside the body is called crab roe (crab eggs) in female crabs and crab paste in male crabs. This is how all species of crabs can be distinguished.)

Hairy crabs are usually steamed and served with ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce. Or they can be fried with rice cakes. There are relatively few other ways to cook them. Junzi crab: One of the largest crabs in China, it is a crab commonly eaten by people in coastal areas. The best time to eat it is in mid-to-late April, or more accurately, around the "Grain Rain". Junzi crabs are the plumpest. Although they are also available in autumn, they are not plump. Comparison between the two: Junzi crabs are large and have a lot of meat. The meat is white, the texture is delicate, and the paste is like solidified fat. The taste is very delicious, with the characteristics of sea crabs, and a light smell of sea water. It can be said that the meat is fragrant and mellow. Maybe for people in non-coastal areas, it is considered to be a fishy smell.

The biggest feature of Junzi crab is that even if it is steamed without dipping sauce, it still tastes good. It has its own fresh juice, delicious and smooth. In particular, the claws have a lot of meat, which is filamentous and has a hint of sweetness, which is unique. In this respect, hairy crabs are a little worse. They need to be dipped in sauce to taste good, and there is not much meat in the claws. There are also many ways to cook Junzi crabs. So I personally think Junzi crabs are delicious, but of course everyone has different tastes and eating habits, and everyone has their own preferences.

I live in the coastal area. When I was a kid, I didn’t know what hairy crabs were. I ate hairy crabs in the river, but they were not tasty. The most common crab I ate was swimming crabs. At that time, someone might give me a hairy crab and a swimming crab. I would choose swimming crabs without hesitation because they are big and the meat is sweet. Later, when I grew up and moved to an inland city, I couldn’t afford swimming crabs anymore. After I started eating hairy crabs, I couldn’t stop. I feel that the taste of crab roe is incomparable to swimming crabs. I would choose swimming crabs for crab meat, but the crab roe is definitely hairy crabs!

I think bigger crabs are more nutritious.

Smaller crabs have little nutritional value.

In particular, hairy crabs have the highest nutritional value and are the most delicious.