What is in season in Hong Kong. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Mantis shrimp: Pissed mantis shrimp comes to wet markets through April and May, salt and pepper fried at dai pai dong or served sashimi style at high end Cantonese rooms.
- Pak choi tips: Spring Cantonese leafy greens like choy sum and gai lan are at their tenderest March to May, when wet markets carry the youngest pak choi tips.
Summer
- Mango pomelo sago: Hong Kong's signature summer dessert, mango pomelo sago combines fresh mango, pomelo segments and coconut sago in coconut cream, served chilled from dessert houses citywide.
- Egg waffles (gai daan jai): Street stall egg waffles peak in summer when humidity makes the batter rise faster on the hot iron; Mammy Pancake in TST is Michelin recommended for the form.
Autumn
- Hairy crab (da zha xie): Shanghainese hairy crab arrives October through November, steamed whole with Shaoxing wine and shiso leaves at Crystal Jade and Shanghainese kitchens citywide.
- Mooncakes: Mooncakes (yuet beng) flood bakery counters from late August through Mid Autumn, with lotus paste and salted egg yolk the traditional centre, and snowskin mooncakes the modern hotel bakery variant.
Winter
- Snake soup (se gang): Snake soup is a winter Cantonese warming dish, served at long running snake soup specialists on Wan Chai Road through November to February when the cold settles in over the South China Sea.
- Claypot rice (bo zai fan): Claypot rice is winter rice cooked over charcoal in small clay pots until the rice crusts on the bottom, topped with Chinese sausage, salted fish or chicken. Temple Street is the canonical strip.