Hông chòi are nutritious seafood popular with many people. They are sold regularly outside the market and seafood stalls. However, the ancients have a saying “Cua tối trời ghẹ sáng trăng,” which means that crabs in the evening eat more prey and therefore become plump, while during the full moon cycle they usually mate and have difficulty finding food, so they become thin.
Why should you not buy crabs during the full moon?
Crabs and clams have a reproductive pattern based on the lunar cycle. Therefore, the experience of the ancients was to use the lunar calendar to observe their physiological characteristics and summarize their experience. They develop sequentially according to the lunar cycle, foraging at night and mating on the full moon day. Since they cannot find much food during this time, they usually become thin, with tough meat and lack flavor. During the bright moon period, many crabs shed their shells and become soft according to the rule of shell-bearing species. Therefore, if you buy crabs during this time, you often get ones with tough, flavorless meat. To enjoy the best crabs, choose the end and beginning of the month.
Furthermore, if you want to know which crabs are good, consider the following:
Observe the reaction of the crabs to determine if they are healthy
Many weak crabs are sold cheaply on the street, so you need to pay attention. Crabs are rich in nutrients, but when they die, these nutrients can quickly turn into harmful toxins. Eating dead crabs can cause severe poisoning and even serious infections.
When buying crabs, you can use an object to test their reaction. If they quickly grab and try to bite the object when touched, it means they are healthy and newly caught. If they feel heavy when held and do not deflate when squeezed, they are good quality crabs with firm meat. On the other hand, crabs that look weak, have slow reactions, and are docile have probably been caught for a long time, so their meat will not be as good as before.
Check the apron to choose the type you prefer
The apron of a crab is a sign that helps you choose good and preferred types of crabs. If you press on the apron and it feels firm and does not oozes liquid, it means the crab has firm meat. On the contrary, if you press it and it oozes foamy liquid, it means the crab is not good and will taste bland.
Looking at the crab’s apron can also help you determine its gender. If you like eating warm meat, you can choose male crabs, while female crabs will have softer and more flavorful meat. Male aprons are small, while female aprons are larger. Therefore, choose male or female crabs depending on your preference.
If the apron has a lot of hair, it means it has reproduced many times and the meat will be less sweet. If the apron has eggs sticking out, the crab is usually good. If you press on the apron and it sinks in with many red grates, it means the crab is good.
Choose by color
Darker-colored crabs are usually better. Choose crabs with a dark color and similar color intensity between the body and claws, while if there is a difference in color intensity between these two parts, the crab is about to molt. Light-colored crabs will have lighter and softer meat. As for clams, there are various colors such as green, red, and three dots. Usually, green clams will have better meat.
You should also look at the color of the apron. If the apron is dark brown, usually the crab will be better than if the apron is pale. If the apron shows signs of bruising, those crabs may have been injured for a long time and may not be good to eat.
Inspect the spines on the crabs’ shells
Every crab on the market has protruding spines. Short, small, soft, and easily broken spines indicate that the crabs are young, while old crabs have large, hard, and evenly spaced spines. The meat of these crabs will be firm, sweet, and have more meat.
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