China News Agency, Ningbo, November 17th, title: Crab with red paste: Ningbo's "first dish of cold dishes"

  author limp

  Chrysanthemum-flavored crab fat, autumn is a good time to eat crabs, but for the people of Ningbo, Zhejiang, they have to "wait a little longer".

  If you want to eat authentic Ningbo red paste soy crab, the best time is in December of the lunar calendar.

"It's when the northwest wind blows, and then the cream of the female crab will be red and the most plump." Chen Jibo, a Chinese culinary master and executive chef of Ningbo Shipu Hotel Group, told reporters.

  "Red paste soy crab, salty Mimi! I rely on the hammer to press the rice." Ningbo people who grew up with snacks and seafood made up many jingles to express their love for red paste soy crab.

Not only that, the shape of Ningbo Railway Station is like a giant crab.

  Relying on the sea to eat the sea, Ningbo people once had a headache about how to preserve the swimming crabs that are caught more during the fishing season.

Salt it, be the answer.

With the "blessing" of salt, the red cream soy crab brings out the "taste of the sea" to the fullest, and becomes the "first cold dish" of Ningbo people's banquets.

  "One catty (500 grams) of water, two or three (165 grams) of salt, add some Ningbo Daqu, and there are no crabs." Chen Jibo said that it is not difficult to marinate crabs. In Ningbo, ordinary people can do it, "but the selection of materials is very particular. , to choose a female crab, if the two opposite corners of the female crab are very red, then there will be no less 'paste' in the stomach."

  "Marinated crabs can be eaten on the first day, but we often put them in the refrigerator for storage, and then take them out and defrost them when we want to eat them. The taste is like pudding." Chen Jibo said.

  After marinating the crab, the red paste is crystal clear and elastic.

The salt promotes the evaporation of water in the crab meat, making the crab meat more compact and dense.

  The red paste soy crab is also very particular about the plate arrangement. After cutting the crab, the red paste must face up.

In terms of eating method, it can be eaten directly with rice vinegar. The taste is slightly sour at first, then the unique salty and freshness of the ocean, and the aftertaste is sweet.

Pick up a piece of crab shell full of red cream, suck it lightly, and serve it with a bite of rice. This is where the name "rice pressing hammer" comes from.

  As early as the Song Dynasty, Chinese people had a lot of experience in eating crabs.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a special book "Crab Spectrum" about crabs, which recorded the practice of marinating crabs with salt wine.

The famous female cook Wu of the Southern Song Dynasty also recorded the magic method of eating crabs in "Zhongfeilu": "chop raw crabs, boil them with sesame oil, cool them, add grass fruit, fennel, amomum, pepper powder, water ginger, pepper, etc. , all at the end, add green onion, salt, and vinegar for a total of ten flavors, put it into the crab, mix well, and then eat."

  "It's full of red cream, raw but not fishy, ​​smooth and tender crab meat, soft like glutinous rice, how can the word 'fresh' be so good." Bao Dasan, great-grandson of Bao Dasan, representative of the "Ningbo Gang" and chairman of the Bao Dasan Foundation Hongxun has visited his hometown of Ningbo many times.

He said that the red cream soy crab deep in his memory exudes the taste of the ocean and carries the taste of ordinary life. This kind of nostalgia on the taste buds is unforgettable for a lifetime.

  Many Ningbo people who have gone out want to eat a bite of their hometown food, especially soy crab with red paste.

  "Traveling all over the world is not as good as Ningbo Jiangxia. Ningbo people can't forget the authentic Ningbo cuisine, and red paste soy crab is a must in Ningbo." Chen Minghao, the president of the German Ningbo Association who has lived in Germany for more than 60 years, told reporters that he has been abroad for many years. Miss home cooking.

(Finish)