As the weather gets cooler, the crab-eating season has officially arrived. Previously, we have introduced you to the key points of tasting various types of crabs. This time, we will provide a “Crab Eating Instructions” for those who love to eat crabs but are struggling to peel them, so that everyone can easily enjoy crabs. fun of:
Text editing: Gu Jiaxuan
As the weather gets colder, the crab-eating season has officially arrived. In addition to heading to the north coast to feast on Wanli crabs, imported hairy crabs, snow crabs, and king crabs have also appeared in the market. No matter what kind they are, it will make those who love seafood The gourmets are excited.
Previously, we were〈Flower crabs are fresh and sweet, stone crabs are meaty Q, and virgin crabs specialize in crab paste: a summary of autumn crab tasting highlights for novice crab eaters〉One article introduces various types of crabs, but this time, we will provide a “Crab Eating Instructions” for those who love crabs but struggle to peel them, so that everyone can easily enjoy the fun of eating crabs.
First figure out which parts cannot be eaten
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Although crabs are delicious, not every part of them is suitable for consumption. There is a popular saying among the people that “there are four things not to eat crabs”, namely crab gills, crab stomach, crab intestines and crab heart. Among them, crab gills are fan-shaped tissues that can be seen on the left and right sides after opening the crab cover; crab stomach is between the crab shell and crab roe at the top. After gently opening the crab roe, you can see a small bag of white objects. If you want to take a sip of the plump crab roe, you can remove this part first.
Crab intestines grow in the triangular shell on the abdomen (that is, the piece we use to distinguish male and female crabs). If you peel this place off, you will see a thin black line, which is crab intestines that are not recommended for consumption; The crab heart is in the middle of the crab’s body. It looks like a white lump as soft as pudding. Due to its cold food habit, people with weak stomachs may easily suffer from diarrhea if they eat too much.
How do you peel off the shell if it’s so hard?
I wonder if you have ever heard of the story of “The Cooking Ding Jie Niu”? Although the cow is huge, you can easily break it down as long as you are familiar with the direction of its tendons and muscles and pry hard at the joints. The same goes for eating crabs. Although the crab shell is hard, as long as you use the right method, you can enjoy the delicious crab meat inside effortlessly.
#01: Break off the crab legs and claws
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To make the next work easier, when you get the whole steamed crab, you can first fold off the two large pincers and other crab legs. Although it looks very solid, the complete crab legs can be removed by twisting and bending them in the opposite direction from the joints.
#02: Remove crab intestines
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Dazhi Image
Next, we peel back the triangular section on its belly. Although it looks like a piece of hard armor at first glance, in fact, the triangle just “floats” lightly on his belly. As long as you gently tap the tip of the triangle with your fingernails or tools, you can smoothly remove the entire triangle. Lift up the carapace and then break it off.
#03: Peel off the crab shell
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Dazhi Image
The triangular part where the crab intestines are located is like the door lock of the crab’s body. As long as the lock is picked, the whole crab can be easily opened. At this time, just hold the back shell with one hand and the side of the abdomen with the other hand, and open the butt (bottom) of the crab to both sides like opening a book, and the crab will be divided into two halves.
#04: Remove crab gills, stomach and heart
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Dazhi Image
After it is divided into two halves, you can first put down the side of the back shell that looks relatively empty inside, and start processing the side of the abdomen where most of the crab meat and organs are. First, you can peel off the gray strips of crab lungs on both sides, then take out the crab stomach located in the upper center, and finally remove the white crab heart in the middle of the body. After working so hard, the rest is edible.
Gadgets for eating crabs
When trying crabs in a seafood store, the store will usually help you break the crab claws into pieces. As long as you peel off the broken shells, you can take out the crab meat inside and eat it. As for the dead corners near the joints and the slender crab legs, you can put your chopsticks in and dig in carefully. For many gourmets, this process is like eating chicken wings and feet while watching TV, full of fun and a sense of accomplishment.
However, if you want to peel out the complete crab meat, you have to use a crab-eating tool commonly known as “eight pieces of crab”. The so-called crab eight tools in ancient times included a total of eight tools: “hammer, upsetting, tongs, shovel, spoon, fork, scraper, and needle.” With the development of time, many different versions can now be seen, among which The more common ones are “crab pots, scissors, crab needles, long-handled spoons, round hammers, long-handled axes, crab claws, and picking stools.”
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Dazhi Image
Among them, the crab pot can be used to hold the crab lid; the scissors can cut off the crab legs, or cut open the softer crab shell; the crab needle can remove the inedible part, and can also push out the crab meat from the crab legs; long The handle spoon is used to dig out the crab roe and crab paste; the round hammer can loosen the crab shell, which is helpful for opening the crab cover; the long-handled ax can be used to open the back shell; the crab claws can crush the two large claws; the shaving stool Used to hold crabs so that people can apply force and operate them more easily.
Although it sounds complicated, there are actually no hard and fast rules on how to use these tools. You just need to use them in a way that feels comfortable to you. It is simpler and more intuitive than you think. Next time you go to a restaurant that provides these gadgets, you might as well try them out and experience the elegant and delicate joy of eating crabs of the ancients.
References
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