Spiny Lady Prawn

Shrimp Granny

　　In the Haizhou Bay fishing grounds, there lives a soft-bodied creature that resembles both a mantis and a shrimp, commonly known as "Shrimp Granny." The Shrimp Granny is large and meaty, with females generally considered the best. Identifying a female is simple—just look for a white, block-style Chinese character "王" on the underside of its neck. When boiled in saltwater, it is as renowned as salted shrimp. People also often clean the Shrimp Granny, remove its tail, and use a rolling pin to press out the meat from head to tail. They then mix it with a small amount of batter and egg, pan-fry it into a pancake, commonly called Shrimp Granny Cake. It is also delicious when stir-fried or used in soups. (Lianyungang)

　　The Shrimp Granny, also called crawling shrimp, has an elongated flat body. Larger ones are about ten centimeters long and two to three centimeters wide. It is meaty and mostly found in the Haizhou Bay fishing grounds.

　　In the Haizhou Bay fishing grounds, there lives a soft-bodied creature that resembles both a mantis and a shrimp, commonly known as "Shrimp Granny." The Shrimp Granny is large and meaty, with females generally considered the best. Identifying a female is simple—just look for a white, block-style Chinese character "王" on the underside of its neck. When boiled in saltwater, it is as renowned as salted shrimp. People also often clean the Shrimp Granny, remove its tail, and use a rolling pin to press out the meat from head to tail. They then mix it with a small amount of batter and egg, pan-fry it into a pancake, commonly called Shrimp Granny Cake. It is also delicious when stir-fried or used in soups.

　　Among shellfish in spring, crabs and Shrimp Grannies are the plumpest, their shells packed full of roe. Though their appearances may be unappealing, their meat is extraordinarily delicious. There's an old saying, "Once you've had crab, nothing else tastes as good," and the Shrimp Granny is no less flavorful. Speaking of the Shrimp Granny, it resembles a lobster but lacks long antennae. Its armored body is distinctly angular, hard, and sharp at the edges, flexible yet tough, much like the armor worn by ancient warriors. When alive, the Shrimp Granny's armor is light yellow, and in spring, females are preferred for their “top-shell yellow” (full of plump roe, or 黄, meaning roe). There’s a trick to picking the right Shrimp Granny—novices often can’t tell males from females. Experienced fishermen say that females have three faint white stripes under the neck, and their translucent tails reveal dark red spots the size of soybeans.

　　After the Lunar New Year, a decent restaurant banquet will always feature a plate of Shrimp Grannies. Diners carefully peel away the hard armor to reveal the intact meat inside. The lower part of the body is as white as jade, while along the back runs a purple "roe strip" (籽) from head to tail, resembling a purple-gold bar. At this time, the Shrimp Granny’s body is slightly curved, with pointed ends, looking very much like an ancient hairpin—and could even be called a “purple jade hairpin.” Thirty years ago, Shrimp Grannies were not served at formal banquets. Fishermen, finding them troublesome to eat, would often throw them away. If they caught too many, they would press out the meat and roe using a rolling pin while still fresh, spread it out, and dry it into thin Shrimp Granny cakes. These were then sliced and stir-fried with chives—the most delicious and tasty dish.

　　Nowadays, spring-boiled Shrimp Grannies have become a delicacy with a high price tag. Because of their cost, ordinary families, even those living by the sea, don’t eat them often. Outsiders seeing a Shrimp Granny for the first time often find it ugly and are hesitant to try it. Many creatures in the world are not what they seem—some are ugliest on the outside but most delicious within. Judging by appearances alone can lead to great missed opportunities. Delicious things often attract predators, so to avoid being eaten, one must have self-defense mechanisms. Donning a hard, spiky, blade-covered armor that deters predators might just be the Shrimp Granny’s way of surviving in a dangerous natural environment.