Season of creamy roe and milt

Trussed up crabs ready for sale.

Catch the last of the hairy crabs as autumn eases into winter. Donna Mah shares the feast.

The chill in the air says it's hairy-crab season again. These freshwater crabs, also known as mitten crabs, are so named because of the dense dark hair growing on their pincers. As a culinary delicacy, the sweet flesh and creamy roe are traditionally enjoyed in the last few months of the year.

It is the rich, creamy roe and milt that makes the hairy crabs special, not the meat. As the weather cools, the crabs fatten up for the mating season, and that's when they are the tastiest.

The best and "true" hairy crabs are bred and harvested from Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Most of the crabs harvested are shipped to Shanghai and Hong Kong, where enthusiastic populations of crab-lovers cannot get enough of this annual delicacy.

Hairy crabs are also produced in Taihu Lake between Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

I ate hairy crabs for the first time more than a decade ago. Once I was indoctrinated by my friends on the correct rituals of crab-feasting, I was hooked. When my brother came to visit a few years ago, I generously gave him all the meaty bits in exchange for the golden orange roe. It suited us both fine.

Best served steamed, the crabs are considered to be yin (cooling) food for the body, so they are usually dipp

ed into sweet gingery dark vinegar and eaten with warm Shaoxing wine and ginger tea to follow. The wine and vinegar help to balance the richness of the roe, while the yin qualities of the crabs are balanced by the yang (warmth) of the ginger tea.

For customers who find eating crabs too much "work", savvy restaurateurs have been quick to introduce the creamy roe into other dishes, including juicy steamed Shanghainese dumplings that are enormously popular.

For others, hairy-crab season is when you go shopping for live crabs, dried shiso leaves, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, crab scissors and picks. Then it's time to head home or gather at a friend's or relative's for a social feast.

Be warned that hairy crabs can be addictive. Each year I look forward to the start of the season and react much like Pavlov's dog when someone mentions them. Excuse me, I need to go get a napkin right now.