When do Sanmen mud crabs hit the market? How to store them and can dead crabs be eaten?

Sanmen mud crab, scientific name Scylla serrata, commonly known as youmou, is produced along the Sanmen Bay on the central coast of Zhejiang and is a prized seafood. So when does it hit the market? How do you store it so it doesn't die? Can you eat it if it dies? According to Hu Guohua, a mud crab farmer in Zhejiang, Sanmen mud crabs are already on the market around Qingming Festival, but the weather is cool then and there are very few mud crabs. Generally, the time when Sanmen mud crabs are heavily on the market should be around Mid-Autumn Festival. Friends who love mud crabs should not miss it!

How do you store Sanmen mud crabs?

1. After buying the mud crabs, keep them in light salt water for about 5 minutes, then take them out.

2. Place them in a cool, moist place that must be well ventilated, such as a bathroom. Or put about 3 cm of light salt water in the bottom of a bucket; the water should not cover the mud crab's mouth, and it is best to change the water once every two days.

3. Under the most suitable temperature and moist environment, they can survive for 5-10 days, and generally they survive for 3-5 days. Remember that you must not put mud crabs in the refrigerator, otherwise they will die quickly, and you must not keep them in fresh water, which will also make them die quickly.

Can you eat Sanmen mud crabs after they die?

Mud crabs cannot be eaten after they die. Mud crabs like to eat dead fish, dead shrimp and other decaying animal carcasses in the water, and certain bacteria will infect their bodies; live mud crabs can excrete the bacteria from their bodies through metabolism. But once a mud crab dies, the bacteria in its body will multiply in large numbers and decompose the crab meat, and some bacteria also produce toxins. If people eat such mud crabs, it can cause food poisoning, with common symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea; in severe cases, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, convulsions, and even shock, coma, septicemia, etc. can occur.

Appendix: How to select Sanmen mud crabs

1. You must choose fresh mud crabs, and by no means buy dead or nearly dead mud crabs; dead mud crabs are very unhealthy. You can turn one over, and if it can turn itself back, it means it is still fairly lively and can be bought.

2. You can lift the mud crab up and look against the light at the serrated top of the crab shell; if it is completely opaque, it means this mud crab is relatively plump, otherwise it is not very full.

3. Everyone should know that mud crabs molt their shells, and a mud crab that has just finished molting often has used up a lot of energy, so there is certainly not much meat. If the underside is white or even transparent, it means it has just finished molting, and this kind should not be bought.