How to eat Shanghai hairy crab

Shanghai hairy crab or Big sluice crab?

"Hairy crab"in English, is also known as big sluice crab (大閘蟹dà zhá xiè) in local name. Da zha xie and hairy crabs are actually considered two different foods by real Shanghai foodies. Although it falls under same family of hairy crab, only those heavier than 150 grams can be classified as da zha xie. It is one of my favourite autumn delicacy. The best time to eat crab is usually in late September to December when they are freshly caught, while normal hairy crab has eaten year-round in Shanghai. 

How to eat 大閘蟹dà zhá xiè

     Tail: Flip the crab on its back and remove the tail.

Top shell: Remove the top shell. This is where most of the roe is hidden. Pull it back to uncover the bright orange rich roe. Remember to remove the small bones at the top. Scrape all the roe together from the body and shell to collect a spoonful of roe. Add a bit of vinegar mixture.       

                                                                                                                            

Body: Break the body in half. 

Break each half of the body into half again. This opens the little partitions where most of the meat is. Hold the legs of the crab and dip the body into the vinegar mixture. Suck or pick out all the meat. You can spit out the little bits of shell without being rude. 

Legs: Using the end bit of the leg, which is sharp and thin, push through the top part of the remaining leg and you'll find yourself with a nice intact piece of leg meat.

Claws: The claws are the toughest part of the crab. Use the crab-shell cracker (or very strong teeth) to break the claw in half. By using a cracker, you avoid getting too much hair on the claws.