Butter Crab

The butter crab is a rare and prized crab species that has emerged in recent years as a delicacy in Guangdong, Hong Kong, China, and Macao, China, and is renowned throughout southern China, earning it the laudatory title "king of crabs." Its price tops that of all domestic crabs; in Hong Kong, China restaurants it is priced by the tael, with every 50 grams selling for as much as several dozen Hong Kong dollars. So the butter crab can be said to be a uniquely precious seafood delicacy of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region. The "in-season" marketing period has arrived once again, making this the perfect time to savor it.

Butter crabs grow in areas where saltwater and freshwater meet, so their places of origin are somewhat limited; they are found mostly in Lau Fau Shan in Hong Kong, China, the Pearl River basin, especially Humen Taiping (Benwan) in Dongguan City, as well as the waters of Houhai Bay in Shenzhen City. Usually only the short span of a little over two months, from late in the 5th lunar month to mid-August, is the "in-season" period, and it is also the best time to enjoy butter crabs.

The butter crab's predecessor is the roe crab, the female of the green mud crab (Scylla serrata), so its appearance is no different from that of a roe crab. The difference is that once steamed, the crab's body color falls between red and yellow, and yellow oil can be seen through the shell and at the joints of the legs. According to local experts, during the egg-laying season in the heat of summer, mature roe crabs take shelter on the shallows by the riverside to spawn. At low tide, the fierce sunlight raises the water temperature on the shallows; stimulated by this, the roe inside the crab's body breaks down into golden-yellow oil, which then permeates every part of the body. The whole crab is thus filled with butter, and its body takes on an orange-yellow color, which is why it is called the butter crab. Because the yield and quality of butter crabs are directly affected by the rearing environment and the weather, and because the production period is not long, the butter crab seems all the more rare and precious.

The butter crab is known for its rich, fragrant oil and roe and its tender, fresh meat. It is therefore best served simply steamed to preserve its original flavor. When a steamed butter crab's shell is lifted, a distinctive crab-oil fragrance rushes toward you, and on the shell lies a layer of golden-yellow crab roe; savored carefully, the oil is rich, fragrant, tender, and smooth, with a unique deliciousness that can truly be called "the finest of crabs."

According to experienced chefs, ordinary crabs are simply steamed or stir-fried, and the process is fairly simple. The butter crab, however, must be handled with great care, and its claws must never be broken off, or the wounds will "leak oil," leaving it no different from an ordinary roe crab. The correct method is: use the "ice-water chilling method," immersing the crab in fresh water at nearly 0°C; once the crab has become numb and slightly stiff, it can be "flipped over" and placed on a plate for steaming.