The hairy crab (大闸蟹) from Hongze Lake is Suqian's most celebrated food product, reaching peak season in October and November when the crabs are at their fattest and the flavour of the roe is at its most intense. Hongze crab is considered among the best in China, rivalling the more famous Yangcheng Lake variety from Suzhou — and at a fraction of the price, since the Suqian crab has not been so thoroughly marketed to the luxury end of the market.
Restaurants around the lake and in the city centre serve hairy crab steamed whole, with a set of small tools for cracking and extracting the meat and roe, accompanied by ginger vinegar and Shaoxing rice wine. It is slow, tactile eating: a good crab takes twenty minutes to work through properly, and the experience is as much ritual as meal. Outside crab season, freshwater shrimp, mandarin fish, and silver carp from the lake are prepared simply and well.