Hairy Crab

We've had a lovely autumn in Shanghai. October stayed warm throughout, with golden sun inviting us onto parks every Saturday and warm evenings pulling us onto our balcony for dinner almost every night. Halloween saw a high temperature of 81F, and also the end of our Indian Summer. The high today will be only 52F, and the girls went to school in sweaters.

Autumn in Shanghai means hairy crab season. Allow me to explain by excerpting from the San Francisco Chronicle:

It's October, and if there is any local food that defines Shanghai it is the freshwater hairy crab. These freshwater crustaceans, originating from within about a 100-mile radius of the city, fatten as soon as the first autumn wind chills the Yangtze River delta. Although the official season opened in late September, aficionados await the first autumn chill after the mid-autumn full moon festival (usually by mid-October), so they may relish the fattest, most roe-laden crabs.

From now until mid-February, crab feasting dominates the local scene. Crab vendors ply the gray-colored crustaceans in every neighborhood and every street corner. Restaurants offer crab specialties on their menus. Entire 10-course banquets, with each course being a variation, riff on the theme of crab.

Dave's co-workers joined us for an American BBQ on Friday night. I made potato salad and Dave grilled sausages and chicken wings. The girls made jack-o-lantern cookies for dessert. And knowing that we would prepare American food, a few of his coworkers picked up a box of live crabs on the way home.


Mark is the foodie of the crowd. He prepared each crab, by removing its plastic tags and setting it inside the wok to steam for 20 minutes.


These ugly creatures turned a lovely autumn shade of red once they were steamed, and eventually stopped banging their claws against the top of the pan. No pictures of us eating, because the party did stay on the rooftop balcony, lit only by the night sky. As you would expect, Dave ate it. I tried a bite of the roe - supposed to be the best part. It seemed like far too much trouble to both Dave and I, as you have to really dissect these little buggers to get a few tasty morsels out. But the rest of the crew had a blast tearing these crab apart, and sucking out the guts.

The hit of the evening, though? The Jack-O-Lantern cookies, decorated with help by the girls. Apparently Dave's co-workers have a serious sweet tooth, because these cookies are generally much too sweet for a Chinese palate. But all cookies had disappeared by the end of the evening!