01x03 - Marinated Crab

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This is an encounter
transcending a thousand years.

An encounter between ancient cooking
and modern, fresh ingredients.

This local flavor of Chaoshan
is a result of time.

CHAOSHAN

HONGYANG TOWN, PUNING CITY

At 10:00 p.m.,

Yiangsheng Li and his daughter
prepare to sell midnight snacks.

Midnight snacks are called "daleng"
by Chaoshan locals.

The dishes are mostly pre-prepared.

A bowl of plain congee
with a few side dishes

makes a perfect late-night supper.

Li's eatery has been in business
for over 20 years.

The star dish is what attracts diners.
Marinated raw crab
is the star dish of Li's eatery.

The pre-marinated crab
is already finely seasoned.

Lots of coriander is added
before it's served.

The pungent spicy aromas

culminate into the marinated crab's
sweet fragrance.

MARINATED RAW CRAB

XIAOYAO LI

Twenty-year-old Xiaoyao Li
has helped her father

with the business for three years.

It takes her less than one minute
to butcher a marinated crab.

Marinated raw crab
is eaten throughout Chaoshan.

But adding a spoonful
of thick marinade on top,

drenching the whole crab in sauce,
is a special custom in Puning.

The instant the crab shell breaks open,

a splendor of flavor
is about to truly begin.

After fresh crabs are marinated,

the meat becomes crystal clear,
moist, and succulent.

Various spicy flavors completely fuse
with the sweetness of the crab.

Not much garnishing needed,
marinated raw crab

has become a favorite midnight snack
that diners wouldn't miss for the world.

SHENQUAN HARBOR, JIEYANG CITY

The crabs that Li serves

come from Shenquan Harbor,
which is 60 kilometers away.

It's the largest fishing port in Chaoshan.

Marinated raw crab has been
in Chinese culinary history

for 1,000 years, since the Song dynasty.

To this day, most coastal regions

keep this culinary custom
of marinated raw crab.

Each region has its own distinct flavor.

In Chaoshan, lots of seasoning is added

to make the crab
more intricately flavorful.

Puning locals prefer fancier flavors.

Compared to other places in Chaoshan,

marinated crabs in Puning
have a striking taste,

with especially strong
garlic and coriander flavors.

Both for reasons concerning health

and for maintaining texture and flavor...

FLOWER CRAB

only fresh, live crabs are suitable
for making marinated raw crab.

Marinated crabs must be prepared
six hours before being served.

That is to guarantee the best flavors
when it is served at night.

Flower crabs are fresher
in the market today.

Yiangsheng Li decides to make
marinated flower crab.

Sea salt is an important source of salt
in the diet of the Chaoshan region.

It is also the most crucial ingredient
in marinating crabs.

After marinating for six hours,

the sea salt causes
the elastin and collagen in crab meat

to denature and tenderize.

Dissolved proteins link together

and gradually turn
into firm and elastic gelatin.

There is one more step
before marinated crab is completed.

Lots of rice vinegar is added,

not only to balance the saltiness,

but also to sterilize and preserve.

It is left to set a while,
and as the vinegar evaporates,

the marinated crab
reaches the height of its flavor.

The Chaoshan region
is small and dense in population.

For a long period in the past,
food was scarce.

Locals stretched the use of seafood
to sustain themselves.

A dish of marinated crab

and a few dishes of Zaxian

constitute a fulfilling meal with congee.

After the last marinated crab is served,

Li's eatery prepares to close for the day.

Seventy kilometers away in Shantou,

midnight snacktime has just begun.

SHANTOU CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE

Shantou is one of China's
first special economic zones,

and also the largest city
in the Chaoshan region.

Here, midnight snacks combine flavors
from all over Chaoshan.

There is a wider variety of food here.

Marinated crab is still
one of the main ingredients.

NIUTIANYANG, SHANTOU CITY

Niutianyang is located
on the southwestern edge of Shantou

and at the mouth of the three rivers
where seawater and freshwater meet.

It is therefore abundant
in sea microorganisms

and provides a perfect habitat
for mud crabs to thrive in.

Pinshun Lin is one of the first
local crab farmers.

PINSHUN LIN

For the past 30 years,
in order to ensure quality crabs,

he has insisted on using local crab seeds

and feeds only fresh snails.

Niutianyang produces over two million
kilograms of mud crabs per year.

Most of them are exported.

In Shantou City,
where the population is over five million,

even for locals, it's not that easy
to get a bite of local mud crabs.

September is when crabs are plump
and full of crab butter,

the perfect time to savor mud crab.

Niutianyang is less than 15 kilometers
from downtown Shantou.

From crabs being fished up
to being marinated in restaurants

only takes half an hour.

Many restaurants prefer local mud crabs
when making marinated raw crab.

When Chaoshan locals cook seafood,

the criteria is fresh instead of stinky,
and tender, but not raw.

MARINATED RAW MANTIS SHRIMP

In their opinion,
marinated raw is the best way of cooking.

They are very meticulous
about controlling the time.

MARINATED RAW SHRIMP

Small seafood should be marinated
from several minutes to ten minutes.

MARINATED RAW OYSTER

Even crabs with thick shells
would not be marinated over 24 hours.

MARINATED RAW CLAM

Chaoshan locals call marinated raw seafood

a drug you get addicted to
after just one taste.

Unlike the marinating methods
used in Puning,

when Shantou local Yuping Lin
marinates his crabs,

he mixes various ingredients together
in the beginning

so that the marinated crab
will absorb flavors more evenly.

Shantou locals usually use soy sauce
instead of sea salt.

In the marinating process,

amino acids and oligopeptides
from the soy sauce

enhance the crab meat's fresh taste.

After 24 hours of marinating,

the slightly yellow crab butter
turns orange-red.

The salinity makes the crab meat
and crab butter more firm and tender.

When Shantou locals eat marinated crab,
they are fussy about the presentation.

First, they get rid of inedible parts
such as the gills.

A total of eight cuts are made
for each crab.

The crab is butchered into 13 pieces.

Every piece of the firm meat
must come with some reddish crab butter.

The meaty part is placed
facing outward on the plate.

The tempting sensation
starts with a feast for the eyes.

MARINATED RAW MUD CRAB

High-quality marinated crab

should be soft, silky,
and full of crab butter.

The silky and succulent flavor
can be savored without any chewing.

Marinated crab is just like
an after-dinner dessert.

If you taste it
at the beginning of the meal,

the rest of the meal
will be rendered tasteless.

This simple marinating technique

is used by today's Chaoshan locals
to develop various flavors.

They have never stopped exploring
different ingredients.

Chaoshan gastronome, Xinmin Zhang,

has turned marinated crab
into another level of experience.

Fast freezing at 40 degrees below zero
keeps this Chinese mitten crab,

which was marinated a year ago,

in its most fresh and delicious state.

He defrosts it with cool water,

removing the frost on the shell
while keeping the inside iced.

The rapid development
of cold-chain logistics

gives people
a wider choice of ingredients.

One year ago, Xinmin Zhang marinated
best-quality Chinese mitten crabs.

He used Chinese mitten crabs from Jiangnan
and the local marinating method.

From advanced fast-freezing techniques,
a new flavor is born.

MARINATED RAW CHINESE MITTEN CRAB

In defrosted marinated crabs,

the crab meat and butter
contain minuscule icicles.

When they melt instantly in the mouth,

it tastes almost like ice cream.

We are having a special treat
on this special day.

Chaoshan marinated raw seafood
was once just food to satisfy hunger.

Now it has become
a famous Chaoshan delicacy.

Whether enjoyed with fine wine
or plain congee,

it is the supreme flavor
sought after by Chaoshan locals.