When does a crab cease to be called a yellow oil crab, a delicacy favoured by the local gourmets this time of the year?
The Consumer Council has received a complaint recently about the paltry amount of yellow oil the crabs contained. The complainant had bought three yellow oil crabs, purportedly of a "special grade", at $280 per catty for a total of $760.
But he was dissatisfied the crabs contained only a disappointing amount of yellow oil but a large quantity of "fat". He suspected the crabs were not of the genuine type of yellow oil crabs.
The Council sought the expert opinion of the trade which returned the verdict that based on the observation that the crabs contained, proportionally, more "fat" than yellow oil, they are of a lower grade of yellow oil crabs which are more appropriately known as fat-oil crab.
Upon the mediation of the Council, the complainant agreed to a refund of $254 as settlement to the case.
According to the trade, yellow oil crabs come in many grades and it is difficult and unreliable to tell by mere inspection. Because of their variations in quality, the crabs can vary vastly in price from $200 to $500 a catty. As a rule of thumb, the better they are in quality the higher the price they will fetch.
In fact, the final test is possible only after the crabs have been cooked and the shells pried open will one be able to know with any precision if they are rich in yellow oil, tasty and fresh.
There are, however, a few tell-tale signs to look for in the crabs:
- The crab (the body, the shell, the legs and the claws) should be intact in good condition with no leaking yellow oil.
- Under a light source, the whole crab should exude a clear golden yellow glow.
- Try to lift the shell slightly up to take a peep inside, but remember this is not one test method allowed by all shops.
- Hold the crab to get a feel of its weight. If it's weighty, it is probably of a better quality.
With only two more weeks before Mid-Autumn Festival when the season for yellow oil crabs will phase out, crab addicts will find the report on this delicacy in this (September) issue of CHOICE informative and useful. So, dig in and enjoy.
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