“WHEN the autumn wind starts, the legs of crabs itch.” This is a very famous Chinese saying. Now is the season to harvest nature’s culinary treasure, as the fertile, protected lakes around Shanghai bear forth the ultimate in savory Chinese cuisine — the hairy crab (da zha xie).

Yangcheng Lake in neighboring Jiangsu Province for generations has been the destination for crab connoisseurs from near and far who will travel to experience this very seasonal crab that matures only two to three months every year.

The quality of the Yangcheng Lake is good and makes the hairy crab meat clean and slightly sweet. The crab season officially starts in the ninth lunar month for female crab and the 10th for male crab. Each crab weighs between 180 and 250 grams.

There are three important characteristics when it comes to identifying the famous Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. First and foremost, only the crabs from the Yangtze River Delta have a dark bluish-green shell. Second is the plump hairy legs, indicating the crabs are healthy. The last and perhaps most important indicator is a white and clean crab bottom, which shows that the crabs have grown up in a clean environment.

“Golden hair, green back and white belly distinguish Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs from others,” says Gao Xiaosheng, Chinese executive chef at Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai.

Shanghai people love to eat hairy crabs because of the tasty roe and the tender meat. The purest way to cook the hairy crab is to steam it, which preserves its original flavor. The crab must be upside down to get the most flavor and juices trapped in the upper shell.

“The traditional cooking way is, of course, steaming. And another classic dish is stir-fried crabs with rice cake,” says chef Gao.

Other new culinary styles include steamed with beer, fried and baked. Stir frying with egg yolk is a new approach, as well. Another is to separate the shells, add butter and cheese, and then bake the crab.

Shanghai people know how to make their seasonal hairy crab dishes enjoyable — by drinking a cup of warm Shaoxing rice wine as an accompaniment. Another choice is to drink ginger tea to somewhat balance the crab’s overly “cold” (yin) energy.

Today, Shanghai Daily discovers some delicate hairy crab dishes hidden in 5-star hotels in the city. These dishes have the most authentic taste and sometimes are cooked in creative ways.

Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai

Chinese Executive Chef Gao Xiaosheng has created from his childhood memory a very old-style dish — stewed hairy crabs with young soy beans. The hairy crabs are first stir-fried with minced ginger and scallions and then simmered with braised young soy beans. Finally, put in some flour when the dish is almost ready.

“The tasty soup from the hairy crabs and soy beans makes the pastes soaked in it just awesome,” says chef Gao.

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Gui Hua Lou, offers a hairy crab feast. The two signature dishes are bird’s nest with crab meat and stewed egg white with crab roe and caviar.

“Traditionally, we drink ginger tea or rice wine to balance the yin energy of hairy crab. And here (at Gui Hua Lou), besides ginger tea, I specially prepare a bowl of plain congee accompanied with four homemade side dishes at the end of the meal,” Gao adds.

Address: Level 1, River Wing, 33 Fucheng Rd, Pudong

Tel: 5888-3697

Fairmont Peace Hotel

The hotel is elevating this ultimate tasty treat to new heights, with contemporary fusions. Alongside the traditional and authentic style of gourmet presentation, experience this once-in-a-year blessing with a fusion of healthy foods.

Delicately cooked crab with rice wine and pomelo presents bursts of exotic, fruity notes alongside the rich and naturally sweet roe. The steamed okra stuffed with crab meat is a boon for your body’s health and your taste senses, combining the fresh crunch of okra in sync with the moist joy of the crab meat.

And of course, no Shanghai-style meal would be complete without the other star of the region — steamed xiaolongbao — packed with crab meat. Braised avocado with crab meat is yet another unique and exclusive contemporary food revelation, conjured up by the master chef Nicholas Blair.

“If you really want to enjoy the hairy crab, do not mix it with Persimmon as this will change the original flavor of the crab. Also, eat the crab at the last of the meal as it will largely overshadow other dishes if eaten first,” says Chinese chef Jiang Youfu.

Address: 20 Nanjing Rd E.

Tel: 6138-6881

Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund

To mark the hairy crab season, Wei Jing Ge Chinese Restaurant offers delicious crab dishes in October and November. From the cold waters of Yangcheng Lake, chef Sam Yuen’s dishes elevate the succulent crab meat and roe to a sublime gourmet experience.

The hairy crab set menu features nine exquisite courses, four of which highlight hairy meat and roe, such as sauteed prawns with hairy crab meat and baked eggplant with hairy crab meat. The menu also includes a whole large hairy crab, simply steamed in the classic way and served with vinegar and ginger.

A further 12 hairy crab dishes are available in the a la carte menu, including stir-fried hairy crab roe and sauteed turtle with hairy crab meat.

The hairy crab set menu is priced at 688 yuan+15% per person and the a la carte menu starts at 58 yuan+15%.

Address: 2 Zhongshan Rd E1

Tel: 6322-9988

Mandarin Oriental Pudong Shanghai

At Yong Yi Ting, the Chinese restaurant at Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai celebrated chef Tony Lu created a mouthwatering array of appetizers, soups, mains, and dim sum dishes, each enhanced with the rich flavors of the finest hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake.

The chef not only cooks crab in traditional ways but has his own creative menu.

The crab feast menu features inventive dishes to thrill Shanghai gourmands, including chilled hairy crab meat with sea urchin and ginger vinegar jelly (118 yuan+15%), baked hairy crab meat souffle with shaddock salad (168 yuan+15%), braised gorgon fruit with hairy crab meat (158 yuan+15%), steamed dumpling filled with hairy crab meat and minced bean curd (60 yuan+15% for 3 pieces), sweetened taro paste with dried fruit (52 yuan+15%).

Address: 111 Pudong Rd S.

Tel: 2082-9978

Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel

Besides the traditional ways to cook hairy crabs — boiling and steaming — chef Kevin Ji has created a new method — stir-fried with rice cake, soy sauce, spring onion and ginger.

“People love hairy crabs because of its delicious taste and rich nutrition,” says Ji.

“Crab legs are strong and taste good. There are a lot of aquatic plants in the Yangtze River Delta, so as all the crabs there have to keep moving, they are doing good ‘exercises’ all the time. That’s why the taste of crabs are always great,” he adds.

The signature dishes include stir-fried hairy crabs with rice cake (soy sauce, spring onion, ginger), steamed hairy crabs, and braised baby hairy crabs with soy paste.

Address: 100 Changliu Rd, Pudong

Tel: 3871-4888

Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai

The No. 1 recommended crab dish at Andaz is the slow-cooked butter crab and salted duck with flower mushroom.

The butter crab is nicknamed “king of the crabs” because of the tenderness of the meat and the richness of the crab roe. In addition to the butter crab, high-quality duck is also used, featuring crunchy skin and juicy meat.

Other signature crab dishes include braised hairy crab meat with coral, bean curd, ginger and Shaoxing wine. The chef dices up the bean curd into small cubes, then places with fresh hairy crab meat and then braises with high-temperature fire.

This dish is soup-like and the tenderness of both the crab meat and bean curd along with a moderate salty flavor makes it especially smooth.

The restaurant also serves braised hairy crab with glutinous rice cake in soy sauce, creating a mixture of soy sauce and white sugar for a sweet-and-salty flavor.

The Shanghainese rice soup, hairy crab and seasonal vegetables provides an especially unusual way to eat the hairy crab, as the dish combines the tender crab meat with soft watery rice.

Address: 88 Songshan Rd

Tel: 2310-1234

Shanghai Marriott Hotel Luwan

Chef Tiger Zhu has come up with some new ideas for cooking the crab roe and meat, making it into dim sum and some wok-fried dishes.

“But for the whole hairy crab, the only method is steaming,” he is quick to add.

The recommended crab dishes at the Chinese restaurant Blue Moon include steamed shrimp dumpling with crab roe.

It also offers a hairy crab set menu for two or four people. Be sure to check the restaurant’s extensive Chinese rice wine menu.

Address: Level 2, 99 Jiangbin Rd

Tel: 2312-5549