It's time to salivate over the fresh and exotic seafood the Qingdao sea has to offer. Known for being some of the absolute best seafood's in the world, Qingdao benefits from having a mild climate conducive to all year round breading and thus, unlike most other places in China, access to mature seafood constantly throughout each season.
I haven't really had a proper attempt to cook fresh seafood in a long time - it's easy not to in China because the food service industry is very well developed and few people at at home. Still, cooking is said to be a life skill, one which will give you better control of your gastronomic needs and provide you with endless delight as you hone your recipes to match your own distinctive taste.
Admittedly, I am terrified of live seafood and dispatching them is not something I particularly enjoy. A part of me thinks that eating animals once living is a necessity and that we should not feel bad about it, as long as we dispatch in a fast and human way. On the other hand, it makes me wonder whether seafood feels pain the same way we do, a question I have researched online and failed to find any conclusive proof of.
For now, I will have to continue my cooking journey and do my best to not waste the food and secondly, be as quick as possible. Actually, the freshwater Tiger Crabs were the only live specimens and it is as easy as putting them straight into the already boiling water in the boiling pot. Boiling slowly I think is more inhumane so bringing the water in the pot to boil first and then putting the crabs in would be best.
One observation I might add is how beautiful the markings on the Tiger Crab carapace are. I've seen the deep black markings before but never quite as distinctive. Still, the more amazing part would have to be their freshness.
The other seafoods we have today which did come dispatched from the morning fish market down in the town are the King Prawn and the cuttlefish. Because these two are a lot more fiddly to deal with, I was glad that fish market already prepared them for cooking.
Finally, I added some Chinese green beans, lotus roots, mushrooms, garlic cucumber, steamed fish with soysauce and some squid stir fry to complete the meal! If you look carefully, you can see we have some glasses, can you guess what they are for??