How to choose the gender of crabs

Crab is a common ingredient in our lives, mainly because crabs can be used to make a variety of delicious foods, and crab roe is very attractive, so we can understand the nutritional value and cooking methods of crab. When it comes to crabs, many people think that female crabs are more delicious, but we can tell the difference between female and male crabs from their abdomens, because the abdomen of male crabs is triangular and pointed.

How to tell male and female crabs

1. Look at the abdomen

The abdomen of a male crab is triangular and pointed, while the abdomen of a female crab is round or oval. This is the easiest and most convenient way to distinguish between male and female crabs, and people can tell them apart with just one glance.

2. Look at the crab legs

The female crab's legs only have fine hairs on the front two legs, while the male crab is different, their eight legs are densely covered with hairs.

3. Look at the crab roe

The orange-red, hard particles in the crab are crab roe. Crabs with crab roe are female crabs, and the crab roe is the crab's ovaries and egg cells. Generally around the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the female crab's gonads mature and the crab meat is at its fullest. Male crabs do not.

4. Look at the crab paste

The white sticky thing in crabs is crab roe. Crabs with crab roe are male crabs, and crab roe is the crab's accessory gland. Generally, after the tenth month of the lunar calendar, the male crab's gonads mature and the crab meat is the plumpest. But the female crabs don't.

Is it better to eat male or female hairy crabs?

We know that the most delicious part of the crab is the crab roe and crab paste, but only female crabs have crab roe, and only male crabs have crab paste. So, it’s really hard to say which one is better. It depends on when the crab roe and crab paste are ripe. Generally speaking, around the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the gonads of female crabs mature, and the crab meat and roe are the fullest at this time; after the tenth month of the lunar calendar, the gonads of male crabs mature, and the crab meat and roe begin to become very plump.

Therefore, this means that it is better to eat female crabs around September, while after October, eating male crabs is better in terms of nutrition and taste.

How to choose when buying crabs

1. Look at the crab shell. The back of a high-quality crab shell is black-green and shiny, and the crab meat is thick; the back of a low-quality crab shell is yellow, and the crab meat is thin.

2. Look at your belly button. High-quality crabs have a protruding belly button and are full of fat; low-quality crabs have a sunken belly button and lack fat.

3. Look at the claws of the turtle. High-quality crabs have a lot of hair on their claws and legs, and are fat and healthy. Low-quality crabs have claws and legs without hair, and are soft and fatless.

4. Look at the level of vitality. Place the crab with its belly facing up. If it can quickly turn over and crawl, it is a fresh crab. Otherwise, it is not fresh enough.

5. Check the gender. Around the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the gonads of female crabs mature and the crab meat becomes plump; after the tenth month of the lunar calendar, the gonads of male crabs mature and the crab meat becomes plump.