Tis' the season to be hairy

We used to wonder what's the craze about hairy crabs. All over China during late autumn, these little critters with furry claws (the crabs look like they are wearing dark woolen mittens) sell for as much as RMB100 each. For a crab as big as your fist, surely one must be crazy to pay so much. But hey wait, they are twice to triple the price by the time they make it to the dining tables in prosperous Hong Kong.


This year we decided to travel up north to meet the crabs in their hometown - Yangcheng Lake, about one and a half hours drive from the glittering towers of Shanghai. A small town bordering Yangcheng Lake, Bacheng in Kunshan is lined with, literally, thousands of hairy crab restaurants. Yes, thousands!


Advice received from fellow hairy crab revellers:
1. Choose crabs that are staring fiercely back at you, literally waving their eyes at you at the end of the stalks. Frothing even better.
2. When the dark green crabs turn to tangerine orange in the steamer, it is fully cooked.
3. To eat, peel off the top shell, the bottom half of the back shell. Holding it upside down, make sure to scrape away the grey stuff and remove the heart, a hexagonal shaped white star.
4. Use the vinegar dip. Savour the roe. Mmmm.
5. End meal with yellow wine for the brave, or cups of hot ginger tea for the gentle.


The best season for hairy crabs is from early Sept to late Oct.