Foreign Friends Encounter Traditional Ningbo Food⑨
Turkish Savors Pickled Crab in Xiangshan
Erdem Ozturk from Turkey owns a company in Ningbo. This year, he was officially granted the title of “Overseas Communication Officer for Ningbo”.
埃德姆·奥兹图克先生来自土耳其,是宁波一家私营公司的CEO,宁波市新闻办聘请的海外传播官。
Autumn has arrived with fresh air and clear sky. And in the East China Sea, “Suozi” crab – the swimming crab – is growing red cream (a mixture of protein, fat, etc.); it is high time for offshore locals to make and taste their household traditional seafood dish — the Pickled Crab.
秋高气爽,东海梭子蟹开始长红膏,又到了腌制红膏呛蟹的好时节。
Erdem Ozturk comes from the Turkish coastal city of Bursa and is passionate about the sea and the fish, shrimp and crab that it provides. In 2013, he came to Ningbo to conduct business and soon became interested in the local culture and cuisine. The fresh taste of pickled crab, with the bonus of rich nutrition, soon won his favor. Erdem has been looking forward to a trip to the local sea where he can get a fresh taste of this native crab.
On October 28, Erdem woke up early and left for Xiangshan, a seaside county known as “hometown of the swimming crab”. There, in Maowan Village of Tuci Town, he encountered local star chef Xu Saiming.
With Xu’s accompaniment, Erdem mounted a viewing platform with a panorama of Maowan Bay: Up on the ridge, wind turbines were spinning languidly. Down on the beach, calm waves touched the beach sand in gentle motion. In the distance, two offshore hills, each in the shape resembling either “Tom” or “Jerry”, formed a small gourd-like bay. No wonder that Maowan Bay derives its name from “Cat Bay”, for “mao” is the homonym for “cat” in Mandarin.
For the next stop, we visited the large-scale central food bazaar in Xiangshan. In the marketplace, a large variety of seafood – including fresh swimming crabs and muddy shells – were displayed for sale at the stalls. Erdem told us that people from his hometown refuse to eat crabs or any other seashell animals, referring to them as oceanic “insects”. With this perfect metaphor, he evoked vivid imagery as well as a burst of laughter.
Erdem, under the instruction of Chef Xu, selected two female crabs with green shells and white bellies and brought them back to “Xiangshan Flavor”, the local R&D Center for Culture and Innovation. Before cooking, Xu narrated a ‘must-know’ legend about the pickled crab for everyone: “Once upon a time, a fisherman dropped a female swimming crab into a pile of salt by accident. And he wasn’t aware until a few days later. When he found the crab, its butter had grown red and its meat had turned crystal clear, boasting a fresh and delicious taste.” “Was this delicious dish made by accident?” Erdem was astonished by the tale.
Having learned about its history, now it is time to make a move. Xu informed: “Mix sea salt and water completely in a ratio of 1:3. Soak the crab with the saltwater. And, to deplete its fishy odor, Chinese onion and ginger slices would be helpful. Then, wait for 12 hours.” “So, we are not going to eat it today?” Erdem seemed depressed. “Not exactly.” Xu presented another crab which had been pickled and was ready for cutting. With a joint effort, they cut it up and then styled the pieces on the plate. Voila! The off-white meat! The abundant red crab butter! The pickled crab is made!
Erdem grabbed a bite and was impressed: “That’s exactly what I was dreaming about!” Soon, he had a second one with vinegar sauce: “I will definitely recommend this crab to more friends from abroad.”
According to Erdem, it is a delight to visit the coastal village of Xiangshan and try local seafood. “Ningbo is an inclusive city where you can find everything you need to live a cozy life.” Having been living here for almost 9 years, Erdem regards Ningbo as his second hometown and shows great devotion to the city wherever he goes.