How to steam live river crabs

River crabs are generally Chinese mitten crabs, which are also called hairy crabs. In China, the Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs are the most famous. The large white crabs farmed in Yangcheng Lake have delicious and sweet meat and rich crab roe. And in the process of making harmony, you must remember not to let the nutrients of the river crab be lost, so real harmony is the best way to lock in the freshness of the crab. If you like to eat river crabs, let’s learn how to steam them.

【Steamed Crab】

【Ingredients】: Crab, ginger, pepper

【Specific steps】:

1. When buying crabs, make sure they are alive and kicking. Never buy dead crabs for the sake of cheapness, because for seafood, bacteria multiply very quickly. Everyone must remember this: it is better not to eat crabs than to buy dead crabs. Scrub the crabs clean with a toothbrush.

2. Add clean water to the steamer, sprinkle some ginger slices on the steaming grate, and throw in some peppercorns (be careful not to let the peppercorns leak out). Both of these are used to remove the fishy smell of crabs.

3. Arrange the crabs one by one with their bellies facing upwards to prevent the crab roe from flowing out. Many people make this mistake, so be sure to pay attention next time you steam crabs.

4. Then you can add some ginger slices and place them on the crab's belly, cover the pot, and continue steaming after the water boils until the crab is cooked. Specifically, the steaming time depends on the size of the crab. Generally, steaming the crab for about 12-15 minutes after the water boils can kill the parasites in the crab. However, if the crab is larger than 150 grams, it will need to be steamed for three or four minutes longer. We must ensure that the crabs are fresh and clean when eaten.

5. The crabs are now steamed, eat them quickly! Live crabs will have their legs fall off after being steamed, but dead crabs will not have this phenomenon.

Tips:

1. It is actually very simple to choose crabs. Just look at the position of the crab's belly button. The yellow and red ones are good crabs and you can generally not go wrong with them, as shown in the first picture in the recipe.

2. Let me emphasize again that crabs must be bought alive.

3. Next, I will come up with a series of home-cooked crab recipes. Please continue to follow me!