How to distinguish male and female swimming crabs? Why do swimming crabs have no roe?

Swimming crabs are tender, white, delicious, and rich in protein, fat, and minerals. They are very popular among the public and are an indispensable dish on the seafood table. Swimming crabs that you can't finish eating can be steamed first, and then sealed in a fresh-keeping bag after cooling down, and stored in the freezer of the refrigerator. This way, they can be stored for about 1 month. Some friends asked how to distinguish male and female swimming crabs? The following is a detailed sharing, I hope it will be useful to you.

Contents of this article

1. How to distinguish male and female swimming crabs

2. How many swimming crabs are there in one pound?

3. Why is there no yellow in swimming crabs?

How to distinguish male and female swimming crabs

The male and female swimming crabs can be distinguished mainly by looking at the abdomen of the swimming crab and whether there is crab roe. If the navel of the swimming crab's abdomen is triangular, it means it is a male crab, and if the navel of the swimming crab's abdomen is semicircular, it is a female crab. In addition, if there is crab roe, it is a female crab, and if there is no crab roe, it is a male crab.

The swimming crab has tender, white meat, delicious taste, and is rich in protein, fat and various minerals, so it is very popular among the public.

When purchasing swimming crabs, be sure to choose live ones, because dead swimming crabs will easily deteriorate and are not fresh.

If you can’t finish eating the swimming crabs, you can steam them first, let them cool down, seal them in a plastic bag, and store them in the freezer of the refrigerator. They can be kept for about 1 month.

How many swimming crabs are there in one pound?

The swimming crabs on the market weigh about 80-90 taels, and some weigh more than one jin, so there are usually 1-2 swimming crabs per jin. Because the head and chest carapace of swimming crabs are in the shape of a shuttle and there are three wart-like protrusions in the middle of the carapace, they are also called three-wart swimming crabs. The meat of swimming crabs is fat and delicious, and has high nutritional value and economic value.

There are three obvious warty protrusions on the surface of the swimming crab, one in the stomach and the other two in the heart. Its body is oval in shape, with two pointed ends like a weaving shuttle.

The abdomen of the swimming crab is flat, commonly known as the crab navel. The abdomen of the male crab is triangular, while the abdomen of the female crab is round, and the ventral surface is grayish white. The back of the male crab is tea green, while the back of the female crab is purple.

The swimming crab has serrations on both sides, well-developed crab legs, and prismatic long sections. It has a pair of walking legs with flat, wide, and thin joints like paddles, which are suitable for swimming.

Why is there no yellow in swimming crabs?

Because there are male and female crabs, and the roe is the egg. Male crabs have no roe, while female crabs basically have roe. Another reason is that the best time to eat swimming crabs is not right. Swimming crabs only have roe from August to November every year. This period is mainly the period of feeding and fattening, and the body width can reach 100-130 mm.

When the crab roe becomes larger and becomes bright orange, it means that the gonads of the female crab have matured. What is produced and discharged from the body at this time are crab eggs, and the egg cells that remain in the gonads in the body are still part of the crab roe.

How to judge whether there is crab roe? Pick up the crab and look at its belly. If there is a corner-shaped cover on the belly, it is a male and has no crab roe. If the cover is a semicircular shape, it is a female. Generally, the belly with roe is larger, and the belly without roe is flat.

The meat of swimming crab is tender and white, rich in protein, fat and various minerals. It is also an indispensable dish on the seafood table.