By Tan Weiyun (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-23 11:13

But there's bad news, and good, for gourmands. The number of "authentic" Yangcheng Lake crabs will drop next year, and the price will rise. Growers say that to ensure quality and protect water resources, the crab-raising area in Yangcheng Lake will be reduced from the current 53 square kilometers to 21 square kilometers.

Yang says that's good news for quality. Prices this year are relatively low because the market is swamped with crabs from Yangcheng and other lakes. Growers, obviously, would like to see higher prices, and they will go up as the supply falls, so this autumn will probably be the last time to enjoy the pricey crabs at a relatively affordable price.

How to tell real from 'fake' crabs

"The market is full of fake Yangcheng Lake crabs," says Yang Weilong, director of the Jiangsu Province Harry Crab Association. "With so many counterfeit crabs around, it is very important for customers to know how to choose the authentic ones."

Many are tagged, many others carry laser-etched ID numbers. That helps, but there are other ways to tell a bona fide hairy crab from a bogus one, tag or no tag.

Check for its golden hair, white bottom, green-gray shell and the yellowish tint on its claw-tips resulting from the iron-rich soil in the lake bottom - the tint is the most distinctive feature of Yangcheng Lake crabs. Females have an underside that is one round or oval piece, while the males have a two-piece underside, with a triangular-shaped inset.

See how it moves. It should be fast. If it's an authentic Yangcheng Lake crab, it will move right away, and quickly because of its robust, strong leg muscles that have been developed from moving on the hard bottom of Yangcheng Lake.

Provoke it. By touching its eyes or slightly tugging its legs, a real Yangcheng Lake crab fights back fast with its pincers after your attack.

Turn it upside down - this is the most popular and practical way: If it can turn its body over swiftly without any difficulty, the crab must be authentic - a sign of its athleticism.

Look for tags. Many Yangcheng Lake fisheries use laser imprinters on each crab's shell, etching an ID number. Buyers can verify the number by phone, short message and e-mail. Others are tagged.

Note: If it comes from a lake with a similar habitat, a good non-Yangcheng Lake hairy crab should meet these tests.

To find information about nice crab restaurants, click
Catching a taste of crab this season

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