Battle Crab
Seven Crimson Daimyo Crab is a dish prepared using Spiny Daimyo Crabs from the northwestern Inner Sea, 'Battle Crab' as it and its constituent crab are colloquially known, is a complicated dish to serve.
As the name implies these are spine covered crustaceans, roughly the size of the coconut crabs common to many Western islands. Like those same island crabs these have pincers strong enough to cleave through human bone. Battle Crab migrate along the ocean floor from the Isle of Seven Stormwinds in the North to the North-Western coast of the Blessed Isle under the cover of massive ice-flows and glaciers common to those waters during Ascending Water. This migration coincides with the crab's mating season, when the males are at their most aggressive and territorial, when their shells take on their most impressive crimson hues, and when their meat tastes the best.
First a pair of live male crabs must be imported to a restaurant, where these territorial beasts must then be kept in separate glass tanks of water with their deadly pincers bound. While housed in these saline tanks they are fed fatty pork or beef until they are ready to be served. On the day of the meal the two crabs are placed in the same tank with pincers freed. The daimyo crab will then fight until one stands triumphant, for hours if necessary, this duel being considered an excellent pre-meal spectacle. The winner then proceeds to eat the loser, shell and all. This battle-hardened crab is then rewarded by being drowned in butter followed by a boiling bath in beer, with small amounts of salt, vinegar and citrus fruits added to bring out flavors of victory for the Dynastic palate. A favourite seasonal dish of Eagle Prefecture, true connoisseurs claim it is not real Battle Crab unless someone has died trying to catch it during their deadly migrations down the with the ice flows during the Water season. The surest sign of a skilled Battle Crab chef is that they are missing at least one finger.
Despite the mortal dangers posed by both the frigid seas a vicious crustaceans, the Spiny Daimyo Crab fishery remains both lucrative and competitive.
They are caught at great personal risk by brave and cutthroat crews who are typically not above bloody pirate raids on rival ships who have had particularly impressive hauls. These crab must be transported alive and in order to do so must be kept in separate enclosures, severely limiting the number of crab any one vessel can catch. Rumours also persist of lazy or incompetent deck hands being cut up and served to the crab to keep them alive long enough to reach port. Despite, or perhaps because of, the sinister reputation the fishery has, Battle Crab remains an incredibly popular dish with Dynastic restaurants willing to pay exorbitant sums for fresh crab. It is also incredibly popular with the common folk who enjoy betting of the outcome of the crab's famous pre-meal duels, despite the meager mouthful each attendee can expect to receive afterwards. Lower class restaurants often recoup the losses incurred purchasing these rare crab by hosting such gambling events, with the meal advertised weeks before the outcome of the crabs' famous duel. One caveat holds true in both cases: fishermen only receive payment after their catch is served, with the losing crab fetching less than half the price of the victor. Discerning Dynastic establishments always ensure their crabs are purchased from separate vessels to ensure they receive the best specimens to serve to their patrons.
The most famous Battle Crab festival is that of Blood and Iron's annual Feast of Seven Shattered Shells. Held in the heart of Eagle Prefecture, this event accepts only the largest, healthiest and most aggressive examples of the species, each purchased from a separate fishing vessel. A ship's catch is only considered if the vessel lost at least one crewman during the season, regardless of the quality of their catch. This event showcases a tournament in which eight crab are pitted against each other until only one remains, this last battle-scarred champion is then prepared in the traditional manner and served to the members of the Sesus Chenow line in attendance, who may or may not deign to distribute any remaining scraps to the assembled crowd. The crew who caught this chitinous titan can expect to be showered with renown and riches, should they survive the inevitable reprisals from the other crews. Such conflicts serve to fuel much of the local gossip until the next crab fishing season.
It is a peculiar quirk of the species that, despite their hostile nature and the violence of their duels, a fight between two Battle Crab virtually never ends in a draw.
