Hairy crabs and other crackers
Feasting on the popular crab is a mid-autumn tradition. But other species are available year round, so get cracking, writes Vanessa Yung
Cracking into hairy crabs is one of my family's autumn rituals. My uncle always goes to his favourite shop to buy a huge basket of crabs - enough to give each of the 20 family members at least two each.
After a brief scrub with a toothbrush, they are steamed upside down (to stop the roe leaking out) and topped with a perilla leaf. The mint is said to remove what traditional Chinese medicine calls the dampness of the lake crawlers. And despite them still being hot enough to burn our hands, we just can't wait to pry them open and eat all the rich egg-yolk like roe from a female crab or the creamy gel-like transparent roe from a male crab, before tucking in to the hairy legs. ("Roe" from a male crab is actually sperm.)
The room is always quiet, except for the sound of us breaking the shells and extracting the meat from the legs.
Many species of crab are available at different times of the year, so the crustacean can be enjoyed year round. Chef Li Shu-tim of the Grand Hyatt's One Harbour Road has devised a menu to showcase many of the varieties now available in Hong Kong.
Other than hairy crab meat dishes - including one that is paired with deep-fried cod fillet for its light taste and smooth texture - red, green and spotted crab all receive different treatments at Li's hands.
"Crab congee is a very popular dish on the mainland, but I make it a bit differently here. Rather than putting the whole crab with shell into the congee, I steam the crab and use the juice to make the congee. I remove the meat and the roe from the crab to put into the congee so that it has all the flavours mixed together," says Li.