I was party to an unexpected experience this week. Delightfully, my sister had just gone to China and obtained a sizeable number of a seasonal delicacy: The Hairy Crab.
The hairy crab is quite the culinary experience, particularly those from Yangcheng Lake, which these happened to be. Only available during September to December, these crabs are prized for the succulent roe and the sweet flesh encased within its hard, hairy exterior.
Restaurants have come up with all sorts of creations to take advantage of the crab craze these days. Mousse, crab cake, fusion cuisine and so on. Myself, I prefer the traditionally style, where the crab is steamed with a bit of ginger. Normally, it is also served with some vinegar, but I decided to try something different.
As crustacean aficionados might know, most of the pleasure of consuming the hairy crab is from sucking out the abundant roe. The crab is usually broken in half so that every single drop of the golden-orange yolk ends down our gullet. Creamy and smooth, it is so rich as to be sinful. Decadent, even.
So when inspiration struck, I was at first quite reluctant to act on the impulse. After all, why fix that which was not broken?
I was glad that good sense did not prevail.
Traditionally, the Chinese enjoyed hairy crab with wine. As I did not have any handy, I reached for my favourite drink. Scotch. And it just so happened that I thought of the 15 year old Glenfiddich, Distillery Edition. Quite different from the Solera, also a 15 year old expression from the same distillery, it is richer and more floral, with pepper flavours rather than honey. More importantly, the Distillery Edition has rich vanilla flavours and a creamy, lingering taste on the tongue. Curiously enough, that seems to also describe the buttery taste of egg roe.
OK, perhaps it wasn’t a total coincidence that I reached for the Glenfiddich.
While the sweetness of the whisky went well with the sweetness of the crabmeat and roe, the peppery notes served as a great contrast, somehow enhancing both flavours. The creamy vanilla notes were almost like icing on the cake. To top it off, the unusual 51% strength of the whisky added a great kick to the whole experience.
Delicious. And the great part is that there’s plenty of time to try it till December.
