How to choose river crabs

River crabs are a food that we eat quite a lot in our daily lives. They can be steamed or braised, but we need to choose fresh and tender river crabs so that they will be fresher and sweeter. When selecting river crabs, we should first choose live ones. We can tell from the crab shell and belly button that the river crabs with protruding belly buttons are fat and roe-filled. In addition, female river crabs will have richer roe.

How to choose river crabs

1. Look at the crab shell: The shell of a high-quality river crab should be dark green with some gloss, indicating that the crab has thick and strong meat.

2. Look at the belly button: The belly button of a high-quality river crab is protruding, which means it is fat and roe-filled. If the belly button is sunken, it means it is not fat enough.

3. Look at the claws: the crabs with hairy claws are better. If there is no hair, the crabs must be soft and weak.

4. Check its vitality: Turn the crab over and see if it can bounce back quickly. The ones with strong vitality must be relatively fresh.

5. Check the gender: Yes, river crabs are gender-discriminatory. Choose female crabs in August and September of the lunar calendar, and choose male crabs after September. The gonads of river crabs in these two seasons are mature and they taste better.

How to choose fresh river crabs

If you want to pick fresh river crabs, the most intuitive way is to look at the crab shell. Those with a dark green shell back with a shiny sheen are all thick and strong; those with a yellow shell back are mostly thin.

Then we can use our fingers to gently press the shell surface next to the crab eyes. If the crab eyes move immediately, it means that it has abundant vitality. You can also put your fingers between the crab claws. If the crab claws are strong, it means that the crab has strong vitality. Also, if the crabs spit out foam after leaving the water, they are alive and can be purchased with confidence.

When selecting river crabs, we can also turn the crabs over with their abdomens facing up. Those that can quickly turn over using their stinging feet are very active and can be preserved; those that cannot turn over have poor vitality and cannot be stored for long.

In addition, carefully observe the crab's belly button or leg joints. If there are slight needle prick marks, it may be a water-injected crab.

How to preserve fresh river crabs

1. Tie up the crabs and place them in the refrigerator, preferably on the layer with the fruits. Place a wet towel on top of the crabs (do not wring it too dry) and do not fold the towels. This way they can be preserved for a while.

2. Keep the crabs in water. If the crabs are too thin or you want to store them for a while, you can feed them some sesame seeds or beaten eggs and add some rice wine to fatten them up.

3. Keep it moist. It will be fine if it survives for a week or two. Just don't soak it in water. The breeding area is usually placed in a cement pool and sprayed with water every day, sometimes for a month or two.

How to choose river crabs? How to choose fresh river crabs? The above is some relevant content compiled by the editor for everyone, I hope it can be helpful to everyone. In addition, river crabs that died naturally cannot be eaten, and you must ensure that the river crabs are still alive before cooking.