Waiter, There's a Hair on My Crab

Despite all the reports in the news about dealers selling dead and discarded crabs, it is still perfectly safe to buy them if you know a few simple rules. When shopping for a crab, grab it by its claw and stare it in the face. The eyes should wiggle a little. Press the stomach to check for firmness (which means more meat). It should also smell good – not muddy – and be colored a very dark green. Flip it around and take a look a its privates: pointy means boy; fat and round means girls, which are usually less meaty.

The simplest way to enjoy this specialty is to steam the crab and serve it with a vinegar dipping sauce. And almost any restaurant you walk into carrying hairy crabs will serve it this way. During the meal, it is traditional to drink warm yellow wine such as Hua Diao Chiew or white wine. After the meal, a cup of sweetened ginger tea is served to warm up the body. That is done because the crabs are thought to chill the body, and drinking ginger afterwards rebalances the metabolism.

Dong Lai Shun in the Regal Garden hotel serves up a great hairy crab menu which includes their Hong Kong Tourism Board award-winning recipe "golden rice cracker with hairy crab roe on blue lake" ($198). If you’re planning to go, phone a day in advance to preorder this dish. They also have sautéed crab roe with egg white ($285), steamed chicken dumpling with crab roe ($28 per piece), and handmade noodles with crab roe ($180) - super delicious. Basement, 69 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui East, 2733-2020.

Imperial Kitchen has a menu for those too lazy to pick the meat out themselves. For $268 or $328 per head, the Jiangsu Hairy Crab Set Dinner is more than enough to quench your annual craving. The skillful waiters will do most of the work for you. Divert your attention, instead, to de-shelling the crab and dipping it in the sweet Zhenjiang vinegar. When all is said and done and your table is scattered with bits and pieces of shell, you are served vermicelli cooked in crab roe sauce, spare ribs and glutinous rice dumpling and crab roe xiao long bao with an osmanthus sugar-braised pear to finish off the meal. 5/F, The Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, 2577-2018.

Avenue Joffre Shanghainese Restaurant sources its hairy crabs not only from the famous Tai Lake, but also Yangcheng Lake. It has an abundance of original hairy crab dishes, including hairy crab meat dumplings in soup ($88), which is in fact more like crab meat ravioli in creamed Japanese pumpkin soup. Other signature dishes are braised bird’s nest with hairy crab meat ($338), beancurd potage with hairy crabmeat ($78) and steamed hairy crabmeat with egg white ($188). A sip of fine, five-year-old Hua Diao Chiew ($220/500ml) may help kick away the “cooling” effects of the crab. G/F, 9-11 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay, 2882-6001.

Yunyan Szechuan Restaurant is the place to go for innovative hairy crab dishes. Let’s not be cowed by the mentioning of Sichuan, the Chinese province renowned for its fiery spice. On the menu is braised crab with glass noodles in spicy sauce, peta with hairy crab cream ($180/6 pieces), and sautéed sliced vermicelli with hairy crab cream and abalone ($180). Yunyan also has a Hairy Crab Set Menu ($380/per person) with a variety of appetizers and main dishes to select from – cold shredded chicken in chili sesame sauce, sautéed frogs with preserved chili, and sautéed bean sprouts with hairy crab cream. 4/F, Miramar Tower, Miramar Shopping Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2375-0800.