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On the shelf

As we eat these Shanghainese crabs, we like to pretend we're Gulliver in Lilliput. It's not that we're very big but the crabs are very small - the shell is less than 2.5cm across. They're raw and have been soaked in rice wine and salt before being put in the jar. They're meant to be eaten raw (and they're delicious that way) but crabs can carry parasites, so, to be safe, cook them for a few minutes in boiling water. Tear off the legs, nibble on the tiny amount of leg meat (we don't bother with the claw meat) then pull the back shell off the body. There's no more than a teaspoon of meat and roe in the shell but it is salty, intense and delicious. The kind we buy are HK$58 for a jar of about a dozen; they get more expensive as the size increases. Get them at Lao San Yang, the Shanghainese grocery store at 27B Lee Garden Road, Causeway Bay (tel: 2890 2534).

Although avocado is high in fat, the fruit is considered to be healthy and it's said to lower levels of 'bad' cholesterol. New Zealand-based Grove Classic makes extra-virgin cold-pressed avocado oil that is yellow-green in colour and smells and tastes like the fruit. The label says you can use it for cooking but to appreciate the subtle flavour, it's better to use it in salad dressings or drizzle it over dishes before serving. It's HK$128 for a 250ml bottle at New Zealand Focus (439 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2151 0652).

Our salt collection is extensive and includes everyday kosher salt, coarse rock salt (for pasta water), Maldon (for crunch), fleur de sel, sel gris, black salt from Hawaiian volcanoes, pink Australian salt and pricey Japanese sea salt. Hopefully no stegosaurs were using this World Salt Collection Jurassic variety as a salt lick when it was formed 150 million years ago. In any case, it's been sealed under a thick layer of volcanic ash. At HK$35 for 100 grams, it's too costly to use in pasta water. Instead, sprinkle it over food before serving. The salt is sold at City'super (Times Square, tel: 2506 2888; Harbour City, tel: 2375 8222; and IFC Mall, tel: 2234 7128).

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