The "crayfish freedom" that Wuhan people are looking forward to is coming! The wholesale price of crayfish, which has continued to decline this year, has been transmitted to the catering side. After entering the summer, the Wuhan catering industry dominated by crayfish set off a wave of "shrimp" selling, less than a thousand yuan of full shrimp banquet, more than 100 yuan of lobster buffet, 18.8 yuan / kg of brine shrimp, so that the threshold of "shrimp" is getting lower and lower.
From "Taste and Taste" to "Lobster Freedom"
"Take your hand and kiss it gently. Wrap your arms around your little waist, lift the red hijab, and suck deeply", you can make up a "recipe" for eating shrimp, and the love of Wuhan people for crayfish can be seen.
For many years, crayfish have been firmly in the top spot of Wuhan's summer "night snack". Every year in May, as Wuhan gradually enters the shrimp season, braised prawns, garlic prawns, steamed shrimp, etc. have become must-have foods in major restaurants, and many new shops have sprung up on the streets.
The cost of "shrimp" has also risen year by year with the price of lobster and labor costs. Especially in 2017, due to the reduction of production due to bad weather, the wholesale price of crayfish soared, and the raw materials of some restaurants and high-quality prawns "two shrimps" (a one-two lobster) even sold to 70 yuan / 500 grams, and the per capita shrimp of more than 100 yuan can only be "shallow taste".
This year, things are different. Search for the keyword "lobster" in Meituan, you can find many shops that sell 18.8 yuan / 500g of brine shrimp. On the takeaway platform, a store in Wuhan oil braised crayfish hot no. 2, about 1.5 kilograms, 5-7 money weight braised prawns only 80 yuan, this product has been sold in June more than 600 copies.
What is even more surprising is the "cliff-like" decline in the price of the whole shrimp feast. The so-called whole shrimp feast is to put various flavors of crayfish in a large round table platter, and some restaurants launch as many as ten flavors. In previous years, the whole shrimp feast of 10 kilograms and about 2,000 yuan was only 1,300 yuan this year.
"Eating 100 pots is also 188 yuan!" On Douyin, a short video of a crayfish buffet at a restaurant in Optics Valley attracted 11,000 comments. "It's really 'crayfish free.'" There are foodies who sigh like this. Some foodies say the reason: "This year's shrimp is too cheap, the cost is only a few dollars a pound."
On June 11, Hubei Daily full media reporter saw in the Poly fresh market in Hongshan Mahu that the price of crayfish this year is generally more affordable, 1-2 money heavy "shrimp ball shrimp" 7 yuan / 500 grams, 3-4 money lobster 16 yuan / 500 grams, 5-7 money 25 yuan / 500 grams.
"It's cheaper to buy shrimp than pork now." Some customers quipped. The boss said that because the price has risen near the Dragon Boat Festival, the price in the first few days is even cheaper.
Prawns are still "capricious"
Industry insiders said that Wuhan people feel that this year's shrimp is cheaper, mainly because brine shrimp are suddenly popular. Brine shrimp does not have high requirements for the size of lobsters, and lobsters under 5 yuan can also be made of brine.
It is understood that at the farming end, such small-size lobsters have high production and low cost this year. Enterprise investigation shows that there are currently 34,900 lobster planting related enterprises in China, and Hubei is far ahead with 11,000. In Jianli, known as "China's first crayfish county", a crayfish farmer said that thousands of kilograms of crayfish are fished every day, most of which are less than 6 yuan.
China Aquaculture Network updates the wholesale prices of crayfish in major wholesale markets across the country every day. Hubei Daily all-media reporter noted that since the beginning of May, the green shell shrimp of 2-4 yuan in the Wuhan Baishazhou aquatic market has maintained a low price of less than 10 yuan / 500 grams, and the minimum is only 8 yuan / 500 grams. The cheapest green shell "two shrimp" is not less than 30 yuan / 500 grams.
However, although the price of crayfish in many restaurants has plummeted, the price of popular shops is still relatively firm. Many famous stores in Wuhan began to sell shrimp in mid-March, and Yang Zhijun, head of the Shrimp King Shop on Wansongyuan Road, said that the cost price of large-size lobsters used in the store had only come down in the past month, and the high price continued until mid-May.
According to the China Aquaculture Network, in late March, the wholesale price of "two shrimps" in the green shell was as high as 80 yuan / 500 grams, and gradually dropped to 40 yuan / 500 grams after the crayfish were listed in large quantities in May.
Liu Xuehou, the person in charge of the steamed shrimp in the rice field, confirmed that in the first shrimp season every year, the price of raw materials remains high, and it is often sold for a pot to lose a pot. However, in order to maintain customers and brand value, brand shrimp shops will not constantly adjust the price because of the cost of supply, often "one price to sell one season", many companies can only "hard loss" for a few months.
Hubei Daily all-media reporter learned that in order to ensure the freshness of raw materials, some well-known shrimp shops even built their own cold storage, and the more green shell shrimp turnover loss rate is higher, these have increased operating costs.
In the Rice Field Xiaoliang Steamed Shrimp Nanhu Metropolis Store, the cheapest steamed shrimp is 148 yuan / portion, and the best garlic steamed shrimp and oil braised prawns are priced at 318 yuan / portion. At about 1 p.m. on June 16, the Hubei Daily all-media reporter saw in the store that there were still more than ten tables of customers in the store at this time, and the oil-braised prawns and garlic prawns were basically ordered at each table.
"We don't make 'quick money.'" Liu Xuehou said that this year, affected by the market, they also tried to launch 79 yuan and two pounds of brine shrimp, but the most ordered by customers is still the traditional flavor of prawns.
(Hubei Daily full media reporter Xiao Liqiong intern Luo Weimiao)
Source: Hubei Daily