Anybody dive to collect Chinese Mitten crabs in the UK?

[Mr. X]

[Readers of the American Signal Crayfish thread might notice some similarities!]

Ladies/Gentlemen, according to BBC Radio 4 this morning, we have a new alien species in the UK, apparently in need of extermination. They burrow & destroy native specifies & environment; sound familiar? Coming to a river/stream/canal near you soon: Chinese Mitten crabs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/livingworld_20051009.shtml
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1113_031113_mittencrabs.html
http://www.seerecht.org/wegelein/course/group/crab1.htm
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/08/060208172428.p6u71bzu.html

DeeperBlue were right on it too: http://www.deeperblue.net/newsfull.php/1239

Apparently they are good to eat, grow up to plate size and are on the east coast working in land. They are already in the R. Thames, R. Tyne & R. Humber. On the Thames they are already in London upto Staines (AliG country!). They'll be competing with the American signal crayfish anytime now!rofl

Theories on origin vary from balast tanks of ships to continental Europe.

[BTW I saw a grey squirrel near my home for the first time ever this year; unknown in this area before. I like wild life & bio-diversity. However, I find myself asking -- "anybody know any good squirrel recipes?" Apparently, as well as killing native red squirrel (almost extinct now) they take bird eggs (that was new to me) -- and we are already noticing a distinct lack of the once common hedge sparrow. I don't normally hunt mammals -- but I am thinking I should probably make an exception in this case. Thoughts? (One of the local cats probably got it already).]

 

[Mr. X]

Quotes from NationGeographic.com:

' "...The carapace of a large one measures eight centimeters (about three inches) across—that's a decent-sized meal"... Mitten crabs are ravenous omnivores and the zoologists fear they could both eat and out-compete vulnerable freshwater species....It's quite a big crab and capable of disturbing the environment for other organisms," said Rainbow. "Because there isn't already a freshwater crab in Britain, species like the native crayfish, which is already in decline, are likely to be affected."'

"Eat the Invading Alien Crabs, Urge U.K. Scientists"

"U.K. zoologists say making a meal of the Chinese mitten crab may be the only way to combat exploding growth of the harmful invasive species in the country."

"In San Francisco Bay, California, they proved so successful that in 1998 they threatened to shut down the state's water supplies. The crabs, which migrate downstream to estuaries to breed, collected in such vast numbers that they blocked screens covering the water intake facility in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. To prevent southern California running out of freshwater some 20,000 crabs had to be removed from the screens each day."

 

[Mr. X]

Quotes from http://www.seerecht.org/wegelein/course/group/crab1.htm:

"The Chinese mitten crab is an aqautic nuisance species notorious for its invasion of Europe in the early 2Oth Century. In the 1930's the mitten crab population in Germany exploded, over-ran stream banks, swarmed through city streets and caused extensive damage to dams, levees and riverbanks (Slack 1996). Concern for the potential damage their burrows could cause, as well as fears of a human health hazard from the parasite Paragonimus westermanii (an Oriental lung fluke) led to a ban on the importation of mitten crabs into California in 1987 (Section 671(h)(2) Title 14 CCR) (Horwath 1989). In 1989 the United States (US) Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Chinese mitten crab as an "injurious species" (50 CFR 16.13) making its importation, capture and possession a serious crime. ....

...With mitten crabs now established in three global transportation centers (China, Europe and San Francisco), the risk of ballast water introductions has increased significantly....

.... In addition, the demand and potential blackmarket for live mitten crabs is growing.... suggesting that intentional introductions and smuggled shipments of live specimens could become more important..."

 

[spaghetti]

New aliens, new mission! And...good appetite
This is an easy recipe for "spaghetti alla polpa di granchio" (spaghetti with crab sauce). /spaghetti_polpa_granchio.html

boil the crab then take the meat off. Drop into a padel a thin veil of olive oil and s nut of butter with a little minced garlic. When the garlic turns slightly blonde (one or two minutes, but don't make it burn), add half a can of tomato, two picks of salt and a glass of white wine. Let it boil for ten minutes or so, then add the crab meat and make it melt for 3/5 minutes. Then add the spaghetti you that you had cooked in the old way (8 minutes boiling in salted water if dry pasta, 2 minutes if it's fresh pasta). Buon appetito Mr X!

 

[Oldsarge]

Let me get back to you with grey squirrel recipes. Although I know that in the UK they're considered vermin and thrown away, here they are a prized small game animal and the source of much experimentation in the kitchen. The main problem is skinning but after that, they make as good a stew, burgoo, ragout, whathaveyou as anything else out there inna woods. Y'all just need a shotgun with #6 shot so that you don't nail a neighbor a mile a way!

And crab sauce for pasta is a prize! Ah, I remember my sainted Aunt Mary-Ann's crab feasts . . . those were the days . . .

 

[Adrian]

I suppose any potential parasites are killed by boiling?

 

[Oldsarge]

Parasites? In squirrel? What have you been reading? if you're willing to eat rabbit, how could squirrel be a problem? The only parasites are likely to be fleas. They come off with the skin. Internal parasites disappear when you gut them. Trust me on this; I'm married to a microbiologist! Just make sure you cook everything to an internal temp over 160 degrees F. (No, I don't know what that is in Centigrade. You do the math. )

 

[omega3]

very interesting. I get the odd bit of work in the rivers up here and will keep a look out for the crabby snacks.

 

[Oldsarge]

Hokaayyyyy . . . ! Brought to you courtesy of Squirrel Dog Basics. How to turn a furry grey pest into first rate eatin'.

Use heavy kitchen shears to take off the squirrel's head, tail and feet. Pinch the hide in the center of the back and use the shears to snip across giving you a good slit. Use your fingers to pull the hide off toward each end. This will reduce the amount of hair on the meat as will dipping the carcass into a pan of water. Slit the underside with the shears from neck to pelvis and gut. Cut off the legs, front and rear, from the torso and spearate them giving you five pieces. Cut the rib section from the loins as they have little meat. Perhaps if you had enough squirrels, the ribs could be boiled into stock. The remaining meaty pieces are now ready to be treated anyway you would rabbit, but of course they are smaller. Figure one squirrel per person.

Young squirrels fry, broil, bake or roast. Older animals should be stewed or braised for tenderness. If you need any specific recipes, like Brunswick stew for the entire neighborhood , PM me and I'll raid my game, squirrel dog, and falconry books for you. I got lotsuvem!

 

[Mr. X]

I suppose any potential parasites are killed by boiling?

Hopefully! They used to say boiling water for 30 secs would kill parasites like gardia...although I read more recent advice that suggested just reaching full boil is sufficient (can be important if fuel is scarce).

The book, Floyd on fish, has good cleaning instructions -- properly removing guts, etc. & cleaning probably helps a lot too. Old Sarg's Crawdaddy recipe (for crayfish) also include a lot of lemon juice, hot chile & salt, all of which I suspect help ensure a clean as well as *very tasty* end result.

I tend to avoid food from River mouths -- as that is were the pollution, run off & sewage all goes. For example, I believe there are at least 2 large sewage treatment works on the Thames near Staines (although in theory at least, that should not be a problem).

 

[Mr. X]

"...The carapace of a large one measures eight centimeters (about three inches) across—that's a decent-sized meal"...

-- Hang on -- since when has a 3" crab been a decent size meal?! rofl:naughty

 

[naiad]

Some potentially tasty invaders...

Grey squirrel
Canada goose
Ruddy duck
Ring-necked parakeet
Rainbow trout
American signal crayfish
Chinese mitten crab

Game pie anyone?

 

[Mr. X]

Some potentially tasty invaders...

Grey squirrel
Canada goose
Ruddy duck
Ring-necked parakeet
Rainbow trout
American signal crayfish
Chinese mitten crab

Game pie anyone?

rofl
Don't you find the bones of the Ring-necked parakeet get stuck in your teeth though?! (Just kidding).

I didn't realise the rainbow trout was an invader...probably deliberately introduced like pheasant and French partridge(?). I rather like Canada Geese but they do seem to have taken over (here & in the USA)...bet they taste good

It's surprising that the above do not appear on menus more. With Avian flu now in France, I suppose now is bad time to suggest that we really should eat more Canada goose.:hmm

 

[Oldsarge]

I don't know about the parakeet but the rest are choice. Forage on, Britannia, forage on!

 

[land shark]

ring neck ??? Pheasant???

from China?

 

[Oldsarge]

In the US, the pheasant was originally imported from China. In the British Isles, though, there is some debate. While it is likely that the pheasants originally came from China, did they arrive directlywith the tea trade? Come via the Black Sea with the Romans? Were they imported from France under the Normans? I don't think that the issue was ever settled. Not that it matters on the plate . . .

 

[Mr. X]

In the US, the pheasant was originally imported from China. In the British Isles, though, there is some debate. While it is likely that the pheasants originally came from China, did they arrive directlywith the tea trade? Come via the Black Sea with the Romans? Were they imported from France under the Normans? I don't think that the issue was ever settled. Not that it matters on the plate . . .

I was always told that they were introduced by the Romans. Nowadays, we still import pheasant (as eggs). I believe called the "Michigan Blue"(or Michigan blue-back) from the USA (possibly via France) is popularly used. [I think some are imported because they fly up still ...surviving birds here have evolved to stay down a lot more, dodge between shooters...and hide in my garden during the shooting season apparently!:hmm I think I heard something about crossbreeding with some Chinese strain too - can't recall the details though.] Warning: I am not an expert on this (but I know somebody who is!) -- so take this with a pinch of salt.

I would think the Normans hunted them -- our Norman aristocracy have long been keen hunters (they own most of the land afterall -- perhaps just as well, we would probably have tarmac'd over the whole country by now otherwise). There is a very distinctive, decorative pheasant that comes from China that you often see in wildlife parks here, the Golden Pheasant. http://www.blink.org.uk/print.asp?key=245

 

[land shark]

Yep when I was kid my dad got a golden. It was beautiful not to metion an occassional Black. They used to seed them in. Prob for census purposes.

Btw we have the new ones here,they are called jillian (sp??) strain real runners. more so than the Manchurians.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Back to the main point for a minute. I don't think we've got any mitten crab here in Guernsey but as we are 70 miles south of England we often get unusual species turning up before they arrive on the "mainland".

We do however have velvet swimming crabs http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Necora_puber/ as I expect the south coast of "mainland" England does. They only reach 3 inches or so across but are considered a real delicacy (by some). There are strict size limits and closed seasons. Never eaten one and never wanted to but I bet my brother Foxfish has.

No squirrels in Gurnsey but I think they have them in Jersey. Proves one thing about squirrels - they can't swim 20 miles! Got lots of rabbits though. Oh! we got a few bass as well.
Dave

 

[Amphibious]

...and hide in my garden during the shooting season apparently!:hmm

So what size Shaft and Flopper do you think is best for Pheasant? what's the Viz like in your Garden? maybe a nice 90cm Euro? :t