Butter crab

Butter crab is a new precious crab species eaten in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and other places in recent years. It is famous in the south and has the laudatory name of "king of crabs". Its price is the highest among domestic crabs, priced at two in Hong Kong restaurants, with a price of tens of Hong Kong dollars for every 50 grams. So the butter crab can be said to be a unique and precious seafood food in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Now it's time for the "Dangzou" listing season, which is a good time to taste it.

The butter crab grows in the border area of salty and light waters, and its producing area is limited, especially in the Liufushan and Pearl River basins of Hong Kong, especially in Humen Taiping (Benwan) of Dongguan City and Deep Bay of Shenzhen City. Usually only a little more than two months from the end of May to the middle of August in the lunar calendar is the "making" season, and it is also the best time to eat butter crabs.

The predecessor of the butter crab is the paste crab, which belongs to the female green crab, so its appearance is the same as the paste crab. The difference is that the color of the steamed crab body is between red and yellow, and yellow oil can be seen on the crab lid and crab claw joints. According to local experts, during the summer spawning season, mature ointment crabs live on the banks of the shoals when they lay eggs. When the tide goes out, the fierce sun raises the water temperature on the shoal, and the paste crab is stimulated. The crab paste in the crab decomposes into golden oil, and then permeates into all parts of the body. The whole crab is filled with butter, and the crab body is orange, so it is called butter crab. Because the yield and quality of the butter crab are directly affected by the breeding environment and weather, and the production period is not long, it makes the butter crab seem very precious.

The butter crab is famous for its sweet ointment and fresh meat. So it's best to steam to the table and keep it authentic. Steamed butter crab opened the lid, a special smell of crab oil came, crab covered with a layer of yellow crab cream, taste carefully, the oil is sweet and smooth, delicious and unique, it can be called "the best of crabs".

According to experienced chefs, general crabs or steamed or fried, the process is relatively simple. The treatment of butter crab can not be careless, there must not be broken claw, otherwise the wound will "drain oil", there will be no difference with ordinary ointment crab. The correct method is to use "ice water cooling to death", with nearly 0 ℃ of fresh water, the crab will be immersed, when the crab into a numb to slightly stiff state, the crab can be "turned" on the plate steaming.