Author: Xu Shanshan

  When the autumn wind started, the crab feet were itchy, and when the cream was full of yellow fat.


  Blue back, white belly, golden claws, yellow hair...Speaking of crabs, Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are the most famous.

The three extremes of color, fragrance and taste have attracted many diners to spend a lot of money just for a feast, and regard it as "the best crab".

  Ancient literati regarded eating Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs as "the only one in life."

Zhang Taiyan's wife, Tang Guoli, is very fond of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. The sentence "If Yangcheng Lake crabs are not good, why live in Suzhou in this life" has become the most famous advertisement for Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs.

"A handful of Yangcheng water has been flowing from ancient times to the present." As a water town in the south of the Yangtze River with a long culture and ecological livability, Xiangcheng District, which owns two-thirds of Yangcheng Lake's water surface, is known as the "Hometown of China's Clear Water Hairy Crabs". The Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs produced are famous At home and abroad.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

On September 21, crab farmers harvested the first basket of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

The hairy crabs stretched their teeth and danced their claws and were plump and sturdy, and the joy of a bumper harvest immediately affected everyone on the scene.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

  So, today I will follow Xiaoxin to the Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Ecological Leisure Tourism Resort, board a boat to catch crabs in the lake, walk into the local crab farmers’ homes and ecological breeding bases, and see how the Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are now scientifically raised , And reveal its correct "opening method" together.

How long do you have to wait to eat a hairy crab?

  It was noon when he arrived at Qian Dong's home. Qian Dong was a crab farmer born and bred in Suzhou. He was born by Yangcheng Lake and Yangcheng Lake.

  The hairy crabs that he used to satisfy his hunger and hunger when he was young have now become the "magic weapon" for the villagers to get rich.

The busy clerk brought a pot of hairy crabs to the table.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Xiangcheng District Committee

Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Xiangcheng District Committee

  In the back kitchen of Qian Dong’s farmhouse, the staff was very busy. In the steaming steamer on the stove, the alive and blue-shelled crabs were tied up by the big five flowers. After a while, they were dyed golden, as if they had locked all the flavors of golden autumn. In the square inch crab shell.

The busy clerk trot and brought a pot of hairy crabs to the table.

  "This year, the climate is better, coupled with scientific breeding, there are more large-scale crabs. At this time of year, many diners will choose to come to Yangcheng Lake to eat delicious hairy crabs." Qian Dong said.

Zhang Cheng displays hairy crabs raised in standardized ecological ponds.

Photo by Zhong Sheng, a reporter from China News Agency

  From crab seedlings to mature hairy crabs, and then cooked and served on the table, you must be curious. How long does this process take?

  In Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Modern Agricultural Industrial Park, we found the answer: one and a half years.

  Every spring, hairy crabs start to be stocked, and the plump Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs will grow up in October of the following year. They have to go through the survival of the fittest and layer by layer, and it will take about 18 months.

  Growing up has never been an easy task.

  During the epidemic, crab farmer Zhu Jianming completed the delivery of crab seedlings in a total of 46 acres of crab ponds as scheduled.

"Crab seedlings are cultivated locally, and their transportation has not been affected by the epidemic." Zhu Jianming introduced that the driver of the crab seedling truck can enter his breeding base after passing roadblock checkpoints and information registration.

Zhu Jianming directed the transport vehicle to the corresponding crab pond by telephone to unload the crab seedlings.

When the transport truck left, he went over to put crab seedlings.

  Through this "non-contact" crab seedling throughout the whole process, the safety of personnel is ensured without delay in farming time.

Standardize ecological ponds.

Photo by Zhong Sheng, a reporter from China News Agency

  In recent years, Xiangcheng District has actively carried out the standardized transformation of aquaculture ponds. Based on the principle of “can change, then retreat”, it is clear that all non-standardized aquaculture ponds in the district will be upgraded or retired in 2020 and cannot be included in standardized transformation. All quit farming.

  At the same time, standardized ecological pond aquaculture is in full swing.

This year, the output of hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake is expected to be around 10,260 tons, of which the production in the purse seine farming area is around 1,500 tons, and the production in high-standard ponds along the lake's periphery is around 8,760 tons.

  Nowadays, in addition to the traditional pond farming of crabs in lakes, standardized ecological pond farming has already accounted for the majority of farming.

  The industry believes that standardized ecological pond aquaculture not only protects the environment of Yangcheng Lake, but also ensures that the golden sign of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs will not disappear.

On September 21st, skilled workers were weighing crabs in the Yangcheng Lake hairy crab breeding base in Xiangcheng District, Suzhou City.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

  At the hairy crab loading center in Yangcheng Lake Town, the staff are busy and orderly packing Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, preparing to send them to all parts of the country.

  Bundling is also a technical job.

This year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival "Happy Reunion", it is currently the peak season for crab sales.

All the crab tying workers are "busy" and often have to work overtime. It only takes 2 seconds to tie a crab, and it can tie nearly 10,000 crabs a day.

  Zhang Cheng, deputy director of the Office of the Management Committee of Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Modern Agricultural Industrial Park, introduced that in recent years, the domestic modern logistics industry has developed rapidly.

Hairy crabs that used to be "unsold from the village" now usually arrive within 48 hours from the customer's order to the receipt, and they can be delivered the next day in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions.

  From breeding to fishing, and then from logistics express delivery to the people's table, because of scientific ecological breeding, the "crab town" good water to raise high-quality Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs has become a resounding gourmet card in Suzhou.

How many steps does it take to eat a crab?

Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Xiangcheng District Committee

Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Xiangcheng District Committee

  In the eyes of the old gluttons by Yangcheng Lake, the most primitive and simple cooking is the best way to cook hairy crabs.

This preserves the purest taste of the food.

  Legend has it that the ancients eating crabs were divided into "Wen Chi" and "Wu Chi".

Qian Dong's family displayed the "Eight Crabs" and "Wen Chi" hairy crabs.

  The crab-eating culture of "holding a wine glass in the right and holding crab claws in the left" has influenced the ancients to eat crabs since the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Later, it developed into a four-in-one system of eating crabs, drinking wine, appreciating chrysanthemums, and composing poems.

  Compared with the "Wen Chi" of the literati, there is another kind of "Wu Chi".

There is a record that during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Jin Bizhuo, a Jin dynasty, was addicted to wine.

  "Wu Chi" eats pleasure in life, while "Wen Chi" eats elegance and leisure.

The most special of "Wen Chi" is the "Eight Crabs" standing at the top of the chain of eating crab contempt.

Qian Dong's family showed off the "hairy crabs" made of crab shells after eating crabs.

  The most classic way to eat hairy crabs is "after eating a crab is still a crab".

  "The king of silk peels and pecks Shuang Guo Suo, and the flower and butterfly dance is savory." With the help of "Eight Crabs", Qian Dong's family showed us how to finish eating crabs gracefully and still make them into one The complete crab.

  In Suzhou, people's love for crabs is not limited to the crabs themselves, bald butter, crab bean curd, crab soup dumplings, noodle crabs...They have also worked tirelessly to create a variety of ways to eat.

Popular Science Lecture

What is a hairy crab?

  Hairy crabs are scientifically named Chinese mitten crabs. They feed on snails, mussels, shrimps, algae, and aquatic plants. They mature in autumn.

Like our common scylla crab, it belongs to scylla serrata, not hairy crabs.

  The word "gate" originated from the traditional method of catching crabs. The crab catchers set up a bamboo gate, which is separated at night, and a light is set. When the crab sees the fire, it is very convenient to climb up the bamboo gate to catch one by one. .

Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Xiangcheng District Committee

What is the difference between Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs and other types of crabs?

  Qian Dong introduced that Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs do not stick to the mud. They are commonly known as clear water crabs. They are large and fat, with blue shells and white belly, golden claws and yellow hair.

There are four major characteristics: green back, yellow hair, golden claws, and white belly.

  1. Green back.

The back shell of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs is blue-gray.

Because this color is generous, clean, and likable, it is called "Crab Shell Green".

  2. White belly.

The white belly of Yangcheng Lake crab is bluish and shiny, giving people a crystal clear white feeling.

The white belly of Yangcheng Lake crab can give people a jade-like beauty in appearance.

  3. Golden claws.

The crab claws of Yangcheng Lake crab are similar to the golden yellow of fine tobacco, so they are also called "golden claw crabs"; while ordinary river (lake) crabs are often in contact with mud and are grayish brown.

The "golden claws" of Yangcheng Lake crabs are also given to it by the unique natural environment of Yangcheng Lake.

  4. Yellow hair.

It means that the hairs on the legs of Yangcheng Lake crabs are golden yellow, and are 3-4 cm long. Not only are the claws of ordinary crabs gray-brown, but the hairs are also short.

How to choose hairy crabs?

  To choose crabs, you must have "five look": first look at the color; second look at the individual; third look at the belly button; fourth look at the crab hair; fifth look at the action.

The color of the crab should be green back, white belly, golden claws and yellow hair; the individual should be big and old and healthy; the belly button should protrude outward; the crab's feet should be thick with crab hair; the movements should be agile and active.

Which parts of hairy crabs cannot be eaten?

  Crab gills: Two rows of soft, brow-shaped things that grow on the abdomen of crabs are commonly called crab eyebrows and are the breathing organs of crabs.

The triangle crab white under the crab gills should also be removed before eating.

  Crab intestines: Open the body of the crab. The black things on the crab roe and meat are crab intestines, which should be removed.

  Crab stomach: The crab stomach is hidden in the pile of crab yolk on the crab cover, and contains crab excrement.

  Crab Heart: Crab Heart is also called Crab Hexagonal Board.

Open the crab shell, you can see a black film coat, the white flaky crab heart is hidden between the yellow paste and the black film coat.

How to preserve hairy crabs?

Refrigerator (recommended)

  Tie up the hairy crab's feet and tongs, put it in the refrigerator's fresh-keeping cabinet (the temperature is about 5℃), and cover with a wet towel.

Gently touch the eyes of hairy crabs with your hands. If the reaction is not sensitive, please eat immediately.

Plastic bucket (hairy crabs need to be loosened)

  Put the hairy crabs in a 30-50 cm high plastic bucket (not stacked), and then add water to half the height of the hairy crab body (moisturizing).

You can't submerge all hairy crabs.

It can be stored for 2 to 3 days when the indoor temperature is around 15℃.

Temporary pond (hairy crabs need to be loosened)

  Use the bathtub as a holding tank.

Gently pour the hairy crabs into the bathtub, the height of the water just bury the hairy crabs.

The room temperature is controlled at about 15°C.

According to the storage time and quantity, feed a small amount of small fish and shrimp.

It can be stored for about 3 to 5 days.

"Testing on the verge of death", the picture shows a wrong demonstration.

Tips:

  1. Don't catch crabs with bare hands.

  2. After untying the crabs, be sure to pay attention to the hairy crabs "escape".