When do Chinese mitten crabs have roe? Learn how to tell whether a male crab has roe
The Chinese mitten crab is a type of crab, and because it has plenty of meat and is rich in nutrients, it is very popular among people, especially the full roe, which is enough to make anyone's mouth water. So when do Chinese mitten crabs have roe? Do males have roe? How can you tell whether they have roe?
When do Chinese mitten crabs have roe?
Generally it is September and October, and autumn is the best season to eat crab. It is said that in the eighth lunar month female crabs are the plumpest, with abundant roe; in the ninth lunar month male crabs are the most fragrant, with plenty of crab fat.
Do males have roe?
Male Chinese mitten crabs do not have roe.
Although roe is rich in nutrients and delicious, from a biological structural standpoint, roe is the reproductive system and secretory glands of the female crab. Male crabs do not have these things, therefore male Chinese mitten crabs do not have roe.
How can you tell whether they have roe?
1. Look at the color
Looking at the color is done in two steps: first, the crab shell should be green and the crab belly should be white, not blackened; second, the tail part of the crab should be red or yellow, and raised high (the shell part and the base of the crab navel should be separated, with a feeling of fullness), which proves that the roe (or paste) is full.
2. Weigh it
Good crabs are of course relatively heavy. At the same size, the heavier one indicates more meat and fuller roe (or paste).
3. Squeeze for firmness
Squeeze the crab's legs with your hand. If it feels very soft, it means this crab is quite empty with little meat, and the crab paste and roe cannot possibly be full. If the crab legs are very hard, it means this is a “robust” crab, indicating that the crab paste and roe are abundant.
4. Check its vitality
A lively crab indicates it is fresh and healthy. But there is one thing to note: many crabs on the market are sold already tied up, for fear that the crabs will move too much and use up their own weight and drop their legs. In this situation we only need to gently touch the crab's eyes——a lively crab will quickly dodge its protruding eyes away.
Popular science:
The black substance in the middle of Chinese mitten crab roe:
The black part in the middle of Chinese mitten crab roe is the crab stomach. The stomach of the Chinese mitten crab is located right in the middle of the roe, and is mostly wrapped by the roe. The Chinese mitten crabs usually eaten outside have gone through a relatively long period of being fed in clean water, and the food in the stomach is fully digested and completely expelled, so the roe of the steamed Chinese mitten crab is golden yellow, and the stomach in the middle has also shrunk into a pale yellow glutinous membrane, which does not affect eating and is hard to see. However, many of the Chinese mitten crabs we buy ourselves are very fresh, and there is still a lot of food in the stomach, so the black stomach can be seen in the middle of the steamed roe.
The black thing in the middle of Chinese mitten crab roe cannot be eaten.
The black substance in the middle of Chinese mitten crab roe is the crab stomach, which also contains food residues such as sand and gravel, insects, and water plants. It is very unclean and unhygienic, and is not recommended for consumption; however, these substances are in the stomach, and removing the crab stomach does not affect the eating of the roe.