436: Red Flower Crab

Although these two Coconut Shell Snails were smaller than the first five-pound big catch, they weren't much smaller, looking to be around four pounds each.

Yang Qi felt that these two Coconut Shell Snails were likely a pair, being all lovey-dovey here. Otherwise, a decent snail wouldn't be staying so close together.

It was just a pity they ran into this guy Yang Qi, who forced them into becoming a pair of ill-fated lovers in a muddled state.

Turning his head, he saw another Large Whelk on the seabed ahead. Collected, collected!

Oh! Isn't this a big scallop? Collected!

Yang Qi packed various large Sea snails from the vicinity into his Net Bag.

At this time, he came to a patch of seaweed. Yang Qi pushed aside a clump of seagrass with his hand and found a Red Flower Crab, larger than his palm, scurrying out in a panic.

The Red Flower Crab, scientific name Charybdis feriata, is also called the Red Crab in some places and is mainly distributed in the southern waters of China.

The shell is light red or purplish-red with dark patterns; the belly is white, and the pattern on the forehead resembles a cross.

Red Flower Crabs and Blue Swimming Crabs are generally collectively referred to as Flower Crabs.

When a Red Flower Crab's net weight exceeds 750 grams and its claws resemble airplane wings when extended, it is called an 'Airplane Crab,' which is the top-tier grade among Red Flower Crabs.

Its meat is fresh and sweet. Steaming it preserves its original flavor, while methods like stir-frying with ginger and scallion or chilled Crab are also widely favored.

The price of Red Flower Crabs is generally determined by size and plumpness. Markets will pre-sort and grade them for pricing to facilitate customer selection, but they are usually not too large, and those reaching 'Airplane Crab' level are even rarer.

Like other seafood, it follows the principle that the larger the size, the more expensive it is.

Red Flower Crabs weighing over 500 grams can generally be sold for around 100 yuan per pound. If it's an Airplane Crab, it can be sold directly for over 300 yuan per pound.

In fact, for most seafood in the ocean, as long as it reaches a certain weight, the price will be much higher than smaller ones—some might double, or even increase tenfold.

It is very easy to distinguish between male and female Red Flower Crabs: just look at the bottom of the belly. Those wearing pointed 'triangular briefs' are male, while those wearing rounded 'safety pants' are female.

This identification method applies not only to Red Flower Crabs but can also be applied to the vast majority of Crabs.

The Hairy Crabs and River Crabs that everyone often eats are also distinguished this way.

Yang Qi was very fast, pinning the Crab's back with one hand. Picking it up to look, this Red Flower Crab was female and quite large. The shell had a light red luster, and the dark patterns were clearly visible.

It waved its pincers, trying to intimidate Yang Qi, but in Yang Qi's eyes, this was just a small trick.

He quickly pulled a rubber band from his wrist and bound the two large pincers. The Red Flower Crab struggled a few times but had no way to escape.

Yang Qi put it into the Net Bag, which was already feeling heavy by now.

Continuing forward, he found a few smaller Red Flower Crabs in the seaweed clumps, as well as several plump Scallops.

The Scallops were hiding in the sand. Yang Qi gave them a gentle flick with a tool, and they fell into the Net Bag.

Before long, two Net Bags were filled with various seafood. Yang Qi was satisfied and prepared to surface and return to the boat to clear out the goods in the bags.

He had just finished sorting and organizing the catch in the Net Bags and was preparing to go back into the sea.

Bai Xue also emerged from the surface. Seeing him, she gave a sweet smile:

"Husband, there are many Crabs in the seagrass below. We can consider setting the crab traps here."

Yang Qi took Bai Xue's Net Bag onto the fishing boat and then pulled her up.

Her Net Bag contained two Coconut Shell Snails, but was mainly filled with large Crabs plus some Scallops. There were Mud Crabs, Red Flower Crabs, Blue Swimming Crabs, Swimming Crabs, and so on.

"That works. We'll stay overnight here and leave tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

The two of them subsequently went down into the sea again. This time they entered the seagrass together; one caught the Crabs, and the other tied them up.

After all, in terms of the speed of tying Crabs, Bai Xue did it both quickly and well. Thus, one by one, plump Mud Crabs, Swimming Crabs, and Flower Crabs were tied up and put into the Net Bags by the pair.

As time passed, three Net Bags were filled again. The two returned to the fishing boat, and after organizing the harvest, they found a spot to set the crab traps in the sea in advance.

Next, they went to the kitchen together to prepare dinner. Men and women working together makes the job easy! It was ready quickly.

Bai Xue made a modified version of spicy stir-fried Crab, reducing the spiciness and saltiness so both of them could enjoy it. It must be said it was really fragrant, a perfect companion for rice.

In the evening, the two went night fishing until 11:30 before going to rest. Besides catching some Grouper, a school of Yellowfin Seabream also came by during the period, giving them a great time.

Waking up the next day, the two first went to retrieve the crab traps. As expected, the results were just as anticipated—a full harvest, the traps were bursting!

Adding in the harvest from diving yesterday afternoon, one of the small Live Wells was almost completely filled.

The two spent two hours tying up all the Crabs and putting them into the Live Well.

Then Bai Xue went to make breakfast, while Yang Qi went to the bow to check the surroundings.

Because they were retrieving the crab traps just now, the "setting sail" had already moved several hundred meters from its original position.

Furthermore, it was currently low tide, and some nearby reefs were exposing more of their area above the sea surface. There seemed to be something on them.

Yang Qi looked closely; it turned out to be Oysters, and in staggering quantities.

In the seafood market, including the pier stalls, many vendors sell Oysters, and these things are quite cheap.

Even if the outer shells are removed, leaving only the meat inside, it only sells for over twenty yuan per pound in the market.

However, those are basically farmed; the price of large wild Oysters is higher.

Both Yang Qi and Bai Xue really liked eating Oyster cakes and Oyster omelets. So he thought about prying some off to take back; besides, his father liked eating them too.

Although the two liked eating Oyster omelets, Yang Qi never let his mother or Bai Xue pry Oyster meat to cook.

Usually, they would go to the pier stalls and buy some Oyster meat that others had already picked out before taking it home to cook.

This was because he saw that those who specialized in prying Oyster meat for sale had very rough hands. Their wounds were almost comparable to workers carrying bricks and building walls on construction sites.

Yang Qi didn't want his family members to have their hands covered in scars and become incredibly rough just for some Oyster meat.

So when eating Oyster omelets or whatever, he always insisted on buying from others.

For those they caught themselves, it was better to just steam them in their shells and eat them.

In many places, Shucked Oysters and Oysters are considered the same thing, thought to be just a difference in naming between the North and South.

But in fact, one can only say that Shucked Oysters are one type within the Ostreidae family. There are more than 20 types in our country, some of which are artificially farmed.