Nanxian Rice-Paddy Crayfish 南县稻虾

Nanxian Rice-Paddy Crayfish (南县稻虾) are raised in the rice fields of Nan County (南县). Yiyang Daily (益阳日报) describes their flesh as sweet and springy, and records both richly seasoned and simply boiled preparations among crayfish farmers in Sanxianhu (三仙湖).

A farmer’s oil-fried preparation

For the oil-fried version, the cleaned crayfish are drained while garlic, ginger, scallions and dried chillies are prepared. Sichuan pepper and chillies are gently fried in rapeseed oil, followed by garlic, ginger and scallion whites. Douban chilli-bean paste is fried until its oil turns red. The crayfish then go in over a higher heat, followed by light and dark soy sauces and enough beer to cover them. They cook under a lid for fifteen to twenty minutes and finish with chopped scallions.

A simpler way to serve them

The Sanxianhu farmers also describe dropping live crayfish into boiling water with coarse salt, then serving the meat with ginger-and-vinegar dipping sauce. Garlic, thirteen-spice and salt-baked preparations are other local choices. The wider Nanxian crayfish product received national geographical-indication protection in November 2017.