Finally... My First Hairy Crab

Steamed Alive...

It's kinda... staring at me...

It's not mud on the claws, well.. not exactly.. It's like mud matted fur...

The magic part... The ROE (or fat, or whatever u call it...)

My feelings??? It's kinda overrated... I've always wanted to try hairy crab because I am a huge crab fan, but this experience let me realise that what I really love about crab is the meat. The roe is a bonus, and I prefer the hard lumpy roe in local mud crabs. There is a more definitive flavour. This was just creamy and sweet, but it ended too soon. 

Also there was some kind of gummy white stuff alongside the roe, kinda like squid roe, or is it the fat? it tasted like and had the texture of a ball of cooked starch. Quite unpleasant. But I ate it all because it was one expensive crab!! Took me close to an hour to pick through one crab. 

The flesh was firm and sweet and I quite liked it but there was very little of it. This crab was a treat from a thoughtful friend's very generous mother... Thank You Auntie! It was a lovely experience and much much appreciated.