Shrimp is freshwater catch of the season
Print Edition
FROM the tiny river shrimps to the rich Asian swamp eels, June is the prime season to enjoy freshwater delicacies, especially from the abundant Yangtze River Delta region.
Freshwater shrimp
Though there’s nothing special about freshwater shrimps, the quality of this delicacy is at its best when the female shrimps with rich roe are sweet umami in taste and the male shrimps are meaty and full of flavor.
At the wet markets, freshwater shrimp is priced between 30 to 60 yuan (US$4.4-7.3) depending on the size, quality and where the market is located. About 250 grams of the fresh shrimp is enough for two servings.
When picking the freshwater shrimp in the market, the ones with shiny and hard shrimp shell, bouncy meat and no discoloration are ideal.
The simplest and most original way of cooking the freshwater shrimp is boiling them in salt water with a few slices of ginger, some green onion and a teaspoon of white liquor to eliminate the fishy smell and taste. Female shrimps are ideal for this recipe, and adding a little bit of sugar can also help elevate the taste.
A classic Shanghainese dish is, you bao xia, or Shanghai-style fried shrimp using the larger, meatier male freshwater shrimps with heads removed, which are fried with very hot oil until the color turns red and the shell is slightly cracked. Then in a separate wok, make a sauce of sugar, dark and light soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar and sesame oil before tossing the fried shrimps to coat evenly.
Though the freshwater shrimps are irresistible, one should be cautious about potential allergies, which can cause symptoms like skin irritation.
Asian swamp eel
Also known as yellow eel in Chinese, the scaleless and snake-like Asian swamp eel is fattiest from June to August.
In Shanghai, vendors are selling freshly “sliced” yellow eel in wet markets, which can be used to make classic Shanghainese dishes like stir-fried eel.
The yellow eel is also a key ingredient in Chongqing style dish mao xue wang, or eel and duck blood tofu boiled in spicy chili sauce.
Zhou Hui, executive chef of the Chinese restaurant Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo, created a unique yellow eel braised in garlic sauce dish with the season’s Asian swamp eel and the very nutritious black garlic (fermented garlic) for the hotel group’s promotion event “a culinary tribute to spring summer bounty” presented by eight hotels from May 4 to June 30 in Nanjing, Suzhou, Hefei, Shanghai, Xi’an, Ningbo, Chengdu and Changzhou.
The special dishes, created by each of the hotel’s Chinese kitchen, are available from now through to the end of June.
Sweet with a mild finish, the black garlic is fermented in a period of 60 to 90 days, during which the protein and carbohydrates in the garlic decompose into amino acids and fructose while at the same time preserving the allicin. The black garlic contains twice the amount of anti-oxidant when compared with fresh garlic, and one would not suffer from bad breath from eating them either.
The sweetness in the black garlic compliments the rich yellow eel very well. Zhou wraps the yellow eel and black garlic in aluminum foil, which is then placed in a small charcoaled bamboo tube and baked in the oven. When the dish is served at the table, the alcohol on top of the bamboo tube is lit up, and the diner has to smash the tube in pieces with the back of the spoon.
Crayfish
The annual crayfish craze is also full on from June. Boiled in rich and flavorful stocks, the crustacean is the summer’s favorite nighttime snack with a couple bottles of chilled beer.
Crayfish is enjoyed worldwide, and in China, spicy crayfish is referred to as ma xiao, which translates into mala (spicy) crayfish.
Popular flavors of crayfish boil include beer, shi san xiang (13 spices), Sichuan peppercorn and chili, braised and garlic.
In summertime, meats and vegetables marinated in rice wine is an essential dish in Shanghai cuisine, featuring ingredients such as green soy bean, prawns and duck tongues.
Gao Xiaosheng, executive chef of Gui Hua Lou at Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai, chose crayfish to make this classic dish alongside bitter gourd and duck tongue for the promotion event.
The fresh live crayfish is first cooked in boiling water, then soaked in a yellow wine marinade together with the cooked duck tongue and bitter gourd before chilling. The crayfish adds a meaty and bouncy texture to the dish.
When cooking crayfish at home, it’s important to select the live and energetic ones with a clean gill.
June hairy crab
Though the hairy crab season won’t arrive till October, June hairy crab is actually a summer’s treat.
The June hairy crab is called liu yue huang, or June yellow. It is the baby of the hairy crab that’s about to undergo the last molting before turning adult. The word June refers to the month in lunar calendar, so the actual time to enjoy this delicacy is July.
The price for June hairy crab at wet markets is about 10 yuan per crab.
The June hairy crab is smaller in size and only the males are eaten, the crab shell is softer and the crab paste is more liquidy than the matured crabs.
Mian tuo xie, or June hairy crab in flour sauce is a classic recipe that coats the crabs with flour and fry in hot oil before tossing in a sauce made of flour and condiments.
June hairy crab and rice cake stir-fry is another traditional dish with cooked with rich soy sauce. And the fried June hairy crab can also be stir-fried with tender yellow eel with yellow wine.
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