Steamed hairy crabs

According to Shanghainese the traditional and correct way to eat hairy crab is to steam it so that you can enjoy the succulent taste of the crabs. So no cooking with chilli or any other style of cooking crabs. It is a cold food so it is always eaten with a dipping sauce of rice vinegar and ginger and sometimes a flask of Shaoxing rice wine.

The Chinese mitten crab (大闸蟹) also known as the Shanghai hairy crab (上海大闸蟹) is a medium-sized burrowing crab that is so named because of the dense patches of dark bristles (setae) on its claws which look like mittens. Shanghai in particular is known for its hairy crabs and from late October to early December, Shanghai's culinary scene is all about hairy crab. It is a delicacy prized mostly for the rich and vibrant orange roe. Tucked away inside the body is a grey flap of rubbery flesh called the heart which is even colder than the meat and should not be eaten. Crabs should never be eaten with "cold" persimmon, because it is thought to be a toxic combination. 

This is what the mitten claws look like

Ingredients 

This is how the crabs are tied and sold

The number of crabs to cook will depend on how many people are eating and how much they can eat

Soak the crabs in salt water so that the crabs can spit out the sand in its mouth

It does not matter how long to soak them

Clean the shell and legs with a brush

Put the crabs in a heat proof plate

Place a slice of ginger on its belly to reduce the coldness of the crabs

Place the crab in the steamer

This is how the crabs are steamed in Taiwan

Put 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine into the water

Place sliced ginger and spring onions on the crabs

Steam for twenty minutes

In the meantime prepare the dipping sauce

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp black rice vinegar

½ tsp light soya sauce

A pinch of sugar

When the crab is cooked, remove the strings and transfer to a serving platter

Ready for the stomachs!!!!