Holy crab! Look forward to culinary surprises featuring Chinese hairy crabs - prepared in dim sum, fried rice, tofu and BBQ dishes - this November
This is one hairy situation we’re happy to stuff into our bellies. Raising our hairs with their rich and sweet taste, hairy crabs are a Chinese delicacy that elevate the seafood dining experience. Lest you’ve yet to suck on one of these succulent crustaceans, you’d best make your way to Szechaun Court in Fairmont Singapore for a hairy crab banquet that lasts till November 30. Master Chef, Mok Wan Lok, has ingeniously put together a menu that fully utilises the umami flavour of hairy crabs – adapting these Chinese treasures (they’re fished out from the Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu Province) into dim sum creations, tofu treats, supreme broths and even BBQ bites. We whet your appetite with five à la carte dishes.
#1 Stewed Hairy Crab with Aged Chinese Wine
Hairy crabs are naturally juicy; offering explosions of sweetness with every bite. So imagine sinking your teeth into this wine-soaked rendition. Both the aroma and succulence of the crabs are buffed up with this boozy broth. Just don’t drink it all in one shot!
#2 Scallop Crab Roe Supreme Broth
For something soupy, sip till you’re jolly with this flavour-packed concoction. Simmered with fresh scallops – another Chinese delicacy – this soup is thickened with the gooey egginess of the hairy crab’s roe. And we can all agree that that’s the best part of the crab, yeah?
#3 Steamed Shanghai Xiao Long Bao with Hairy Crabmeat
As if these nibbling on these delicate dim sum dumplings isn’t fun enough (don’t spill all the soup!), Chef Mok gets the tastebuds tingling by encasing hairy crabmeat within the folded dome-shaped dough. The textures in this will drive you mental!
#4 Stir-fried Shredded “Bai Ye” Tofu with Crab Roe and Truffles
Proving further that hairy crabs are prized for more than just their sweet meat, Chef Mok relies once more on their creamy roe (usually lining the inner walls of the shell) for this beancurd dish. Shredded and stir-fried to resemble noodles, the “Bai Ye” tofu adds a mild chewiness to complement the velvety roe.
#5 Hairy Crab Shell Stuffed with Milky Crabmeat Cream
Even the shells aren’t gone to waste! Slightly similar to crab shell au gratin, this innovative dish switches breadcrumbs and cheese for a decadent base of milky crabmeat cream. Expect hints of sweetness and saltiness from the crab shell’s natural essence. Get scoopin’!
Boasting 10 speciality items in total, Szechuan Court’s hairy crab menu also offers alternatives like Steamed Whole Hairy Crab with Shiso Leaf, Crabmeat Chicken Roll with Chef’s Barbecue Sauce, and Fried Rice with Crabmeat and Assorted Vegetables. With a mix of traditional and unconventional presentations that showcase the spectrum of the hairy crab’s palate-pleasing potential, we highly recommend a prompt visit to Szechuan Court – unless you wanna feel crabby for missing out.
Hairy Crab Menu at Szechuan Court; October 20 to November 30; 2 Stamford Road, Lvl 3 Fairmont Singapore, Singapore 189560; 6431 6156; Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-3pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm.
This article is sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.