Here are your snow crab legs -- with a side of leech eggs at Hougang restaurant
A diner was disgusted to find eggs on his dish of snow crab legs at a yakiniku restaurant at Hougang Mall.
Stomper Au visited Yakiniku-GO on Nov 1 and shared photos of the crab legs, which had small brown eggs attached to them.
These are leech eggs, which are deposited on crabs by marine leeches. The leech uses the crab's hard surface to protect its eggs, but the crustacean is not harmed. When the eggs hatch, the juveniles find a fish host to feed on. The cycle repeats when they become adults and seek a hard surface to lay their own eggs.
This symbiotic relationship is also known as commensalism.
Au said: "We told the staff, who mentioned that they needed to check with the supplier. However, they still didn't give any answers by the time we left.
"They did replace the three affected crab legs, but if you look closely at the photos, the replacement also had those eggs on it, just that they removed them before serving the dish to us."
Safe to eat?
According to online reports, leech eggs are not harmful even if consumed.
Some even see the presence of leech eggs as an indicator of the crab's quality: "A crab that has recently molted will have a bright red shell, while one that has been around for a while will have more blemishes and potentially have leech eggs on it, which often indicates fuller meat."
In response to a Stomp query, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it inspected the food establishment and did not detect any food safety lapses.
"Nonetheless, the food operator was reminded to practice good personal and food hygiene at all times," SFA added.
"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene practices. Food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained."
Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via its online feedback form.
SFA said it takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.
The agency added: "As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained."
Stomp has contacted Yakiniku-GO for more info.
