Dry, acidic wines a nice match for hairy crabs
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WHILE my Shanghai friends are reaching a frenzied peak of adoration for hairy crabs, many of my newly arrived international friends just don’t get it.
Why this big fuss over a small crab that offers a little more than a tablespoon of meat? I just smile when I hear this as I know given time many of the doubters will succumb to the charms of these delectable crustaceans.
Whether it’s music, paintings or gourmet foods, many of the world’s most exquisite experiences are not automatically or immediately appreciated. Cultural, including culinary, concepts of beauty are often acquired over a period of time. Allow me to share an example.
I’ve always been an adventurous eater. In my formative years, while my siblings vehemently resisted, I lovingly savored calves liver, goose liver, chicken hearts, tongue and other foods considered exotic in the United States.
When Thanksgiving came around, I would nervously wait until I could secure my favorite piece, the turkey ass. But even for me there were a few delicacies that took time to appreciate, for instance caviar.
I knew it was a delicacy that every self-respecting gourmet should adore, but to me it seemed little more than salty, fishy eggs. Despite my indifference or even distaste for the little eggs, I kept trying them. Then one night flying from New York to Paris everything changed.
As the stewardess rolled a trolley full of sumptuous appetizers, I spied a tin of Iranian caviar. To my utter astonishment an intense feeling of anticipation enveloped me. How strange I thought, I don’t really care for caviar. But on that evening long ago while flying over the Atlantic Ocean I discovered a new love that would last a lifetime.
The key point of my story is that even if you’re not crazy about something, keep trying it and you may well turn out to love it.
The concept of acquired taste is also related to the ongoing development of your palate. Like most things in life your preferred tastes are not static and develop over a period of time.
This is particularly true with foods featuring more flavor complexity or intensity. This is clearly seen in the world of wine where beginners initially favor simple fruity or sweet wines but over a period of time begin preferring more dry, complex and structured wines.
While hairy crabs remain an acquired taste for many newly arrived foreigners, I must admit for me it was very much love at first bite. There’s even a scientific reason why these creatures are so tasty.
The meat and other edibles in hairy crabs are extremely rich in protein featuring over 10 types of amino acids that result in a flavor and pungency intensity that’s nearly impossible to replicate. As in the worlds of wines and cheeses, with hairy crab it’s all about the aromatic and flavor intensity and persistence.
Pairing wine with crabs
Like most gourmet foods, hairy crab has multiple wine suitors. Because of the intensity of flavor and aromas, these crabs are best accompanied by an equally intensely flavored and perfumed wine.
The wines should also be dry and acidic to offset the richness of the meat and eggs and emphasize the freshness. In fact, when eating hairy crab the biggest wine discriminator is the vinegar dipping sauce.
Vinegar is served with hairy crab because it alleviates the fishiness and accentuates the freshness.
Across the broad spectrum of gourmet cultures, whether it’s the vinegar with the crab in China, lemon grass in Thai cooking or lemon sprinkled on a grilled fish in the West, all gourmet cultures use acidity to accentuate the freshness and desirable flavors of seafood.
A white wine with good acidity acts in exactly the same manner, awakening and helping to distinguish the most delicious and naturally sweet qualities of fish and shellfish.
When hairy crab is served with a lighter, not overly acidic vinegar, dry white wines and sparklers work beautifully.
Some of my preferred white wine partners are a young unoaked Chablis from Burgundy, an Albarino from Rias Byass, Spain, or a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Sparklers are also great, especially with female crabs with plenty of roe. I recommend non-vintage Champagnes or a good Prosecco.
When hairy crab is served with robustly flavored vinegar many white wines and sparklers will clash with the vinegar or be overwhelmed. This also happens with hairy crab that is marinated in yellow wine. In these cases, the best solution is the Spanish fortified wine Sherry.
Sherry comes in many styles, but the best Sherries to match with hairy crabs are the delicate dry styles, specifically Manzanilla, Fino or Amontillado.
Manzanilla is the most delicate style of Sherry that’s aged under a very special type of flor that only grows in Sanlucar de Barrameda near the ocean. This straw colored, fresh and slightly salty wine wonderfully embellishes the freshness and natural flavors of the crab while the alcohol cleanses the mouth.
Fino is a pale golden colored wine that has more structure and weight than Manzanilla and makes a great companion to the most pungent specimens of hairy crab.
Like the Manzanilla, Fino accentuates the freshness of the crab and acts as a palate cleanser. The yeasty nature of many Finos also adds further flavor dimensions to the crab meat and roe.
Amontillado is a very special style of Sherry starting its life as a Fino undergoing biological aging, and then undergoes an oxidative aging process that imparts extra color, weight and complexity.
Many of my Chinese friends believe this amber colored Sherry tastes somewhat like a fine Shaoxing rice wine, but with more complexity and persistence. Should you want a slightly stronger wine to accompany your hairy crab then a bottle of Amontillado is your best choice.
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