Chinese people have a long history of eating crabs, which are highly nutritious and extremely delicious. River crabs, also known as freshwater crabs or hairy crabs, are a common ingredient on the dining table. There are various ways to cook river crabs, each with its unique flavor, making them widely loved.
How to Cook River Crabs: Steamed Crab Meat Rolls
Ingredients Needed
500 grams of river crabs, 100 grams of minced pork, 1 scallion, 1 piece of ginger, 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, and an appropriate amount of starch.
Cooking Steps
1. Clean the crabs thoroughly, cook them, and remove the crab meat.
2. Chop the ginger finely. Cut the white part of the scallion into 2-inch-long sections, make a cut down the middle, and soak in water for ten minutes.
3. Remove the thin film from inside the scallion sections.
4. In the prepared minced pork, add cooking wine, ginger, salt, chicken bouillon, crab meat, and an appropriate amount of water. Stir in one direction until evenly mixed, then add a little starch and stir again.
5. Take an appropriate amount of filling and wrap it with the scallion strips. Steam over high heat for about 10 minutes.
6. After steaming, sprinkle scallion threads on top and finally drizzle with hot oil.
Tips
1. In the recipe for Steamed Crab Meat Rolls, soaking the white part of the scallion in water makes it easier to remove the inner membrane, enhancing the taste.
2. The outer layer is wrapped with scallion and the dish finishes with fried scallion threads, so no scallion chopped is added to the filling. If you particularly like the aroma of scallions, you can add some.
How to Cook River Crabs: River Crab and Broccoli Porridge
Ingredients Needed
Rice, river crabs, broccoli, salt, scallion and ginger, cooking wine, chicken bouillon, pepper, and oil.
Cooking Steps
1. Clean the crabs thoroughly. Wash the broccoli and cut it into small florets.
2. Remove the bottom lid of the crab and cut it in half, removing the stomach.
3. Prepare a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, rice, and a bit of oil. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, then the crabs. Add minced ginger, cooking wine, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 8 minutes.
5. Add an appropriate amount of salt and simmer for 1 minute. Add chicken bouillon, pepper, and sprinkle with scallion.
How to Make Delicious River Crab Dishes: Crab Shell Omelet
Ingredients Needed
8 river crabs, 3 eggs, 20 grams of starch, 10 grams of scallion and ginger, an appropriate amount of chicken bouillon and salt.
Cooking Steps
1. Clean the prepared crabs and steam them in a steamer for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the crab meat and roe from the cooked crabs, reserving the crab shells for later use.
3. Heat a little oil in a pan, sauté the scallion and ginger briefly, then add the crab meat and roe. Season and simmer.
4. Place the simmered roe back into the crab shells.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not collapsed, then mix in the starch.
6. Place the beaten egg mixture into a piping bag and pipe flower petals onto the crab shells.
7. Bake at 170°C for about 8 minutes.
How to Clean River Crabs
Cleaning the river crabs is an important step when preparing them. Proper cleaning enhances the taste, and certain parts should not be eaten, so they need special attention during cleaning.
2. Grasp the two claws (use the handle of a toothbrush to lift the joint of the claws, then firmly grab the root of the claws with your thumb and index finger). Open the abdominal cover and squeeze out the excrement from the center outward.
3. Place the cleaned crabs into a pot filled with water (without water, the crabs will move around). After all the crabs are washed, fill the pot with water and let them soak for about ten minutes before rinsing again. The purpose is to rinse away any dirty water that might have been introduced during washing.