Crab delicacy comes with more than a pinch of cholesterol

Three tablespoons of roe has more than the daily limit set by American Heart Association

Passing up a dish of royal crab this summer may well be worth more than saving the $450 price tag: it could spare you potential heart problems too, nutritionists have warned.

The summer delicacy is known in Cantonese as wong yau, or 'yellow oil', referring to the eggs in mature females that have melted and spread throughout their shells. Just three tablespoonfuls of the roe contains 466mg of cholesterol - far more than the daily maximum of 300mg recommended by the American Heart Association.

According to Department of Health officials Eliza Sha and Louise Kwong, the crabs are specially bred by local merchants, who put leave them in the sun to achieve the best results.

They warned against excessive consumption of the delicacy, as a build-up of cholesterol in the bloodstream can lead to heart disease and even strokes.

Priscilla Lau Li-yi, a registered nutritionist with Lifestyle Nutrition, said crab meat was generally safer if eaten steamed, baked or boiled. Three tablespoons of crab meat contains 34mg of cholesterol, about the same as two rashers of fried bacon.

'People with high cholesterol levels should avoid crab roe,' she said.