Stone crab - irresistible specialty of Quynh beach

(Baonghean.vn) - Sea stone crab (local people also call it cap cap or con cung) has long become a specialty dish of the coastal region of Quynh,are sought after and enjoyed by tourists when they have the opportunity to visit this place.

Also sea crabs, but stone crabs do not live entirely underwater but in caves and crevices along the coast. In Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai town, stone crabs are abundant in the rocky beaches of Quynh Lap, Quynh Phuong, Quynh Lien...

Stone crabs have dark purple shells and limbs, and a slightly yellow underbelly. This type of crab is very strong and runs fast, so to hunt it, people often use lights at night or early in the morning, or they can catch it with nets spread along the rocky beaches.

Sea rock crabs cost between 140,000 - 160,000 VND/kg. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Mr. Nguyen Van Tien, a stone crab fisherman at Quynh Lap beach (Hoang Mai town) said: "This type of crab usually goes out to eat at night and is very smart. Catching stone crabs often depends on the ebb tide. This season, the ebb tide is in the late afternoon, while in the summer, the ebb tide is in the early morning. In addition to catching them manually by hand, you can use bait such as fish and shrimp to put in the net to lure the crabs out of their burrows. If you are lucky, you can catch 5-7kg of stone crabs each day.

Sea stone crabs are usually as big as a fist, weighing an average of 100 - 200g/crab, female crabs have firmer meat than male crabs. Stone crab meat is very delicious and their roe is rich, especially the two large, thick claws wrapped in a very hard shell. Unlike sea crabs and crabs, stone crabs carry a lot of roe and usually 100% of female crabs have roe.

Stone crabs usually live in coastal crevices.Photo: Thanh Thuy

In the past, there were a lot of stone crabs, to improve the meal, people only needed to go for a few hours to catch a bag full. When the sea tourism industry developed, stone crabs became a specialty dish, where there is demand, there is supply, so professional crab hunting teams were formed from that.

According to the secret of the locals here, if you steam the crab while it is still alive, the crab's legs will fall off when exposed to hot water, so before steaming, pour ice water over it or use a sharp toothpick to poke into the crab's heart before placing it in the pot.

Clean the stone crab, steam the whole crab with beer. This is the fastest way to prepare it while still retaining its delicious flavor. In addition to steaming with beer, the people of Quynh also "transform" stone crab into many other equally attractive dishes, loved by diners such as salt-fried stone crab, tamarind-fried stone crab, lemongrass-steamed stone crab, stone crab vermicelli soup...

Steamed stone crab with lemongrass is a dish loved by many tourists.Photo: Thanh Thuy

Currently, the price of sea rock crab ranges from 140,000 - 160,000 VND/kg. Compared to crabs and sea crabs, the meat of rock crabs is tougher and richer, with a distinctive aroma, so tourists want to enjoy it. Therefore, seafood restaurants hunt for it and put it on the menu.

Ms. Yen - the owner of a seafood purchasing facility in Quynh Phuong ward said: Tourists visiting Quynh Phuong beach often choose stone crabs and buy them as gifts. Every day, the facility sells about 50 kg, in the summer the quantity doubles, there are days when the stock runs out and there is not enough to deliver to customers.

Seafood stores are bustling with people buying sea rock crabs.Photo: Thanh Thuy

Although stone crab is not a product with high economic value like other seafood, it also contributes to increasing income for fishermen who specialize in exploiting stone crabs to supply to tourists.

Hoang Mai town currently has dozens of facilities purchasing sea crabs at Quynh Lap, Quynh Phuong, Quynh Lien beaches... After purchasing, the crabs will be raised in aeration tanks to keep them alive./.

Thanh Thuy