Squillas, also known as mantis shrimp, can be mesmerizing in a night-market seafood display, whether submerged face-down in a shallow basin or bicycling away on their backs, but as I discovered with my friends Bill and Nancy, they're too much of a hassle for too little meat. Five poached squillas for HK100 seemed a steal, but allow for the cost of labor and the pain of fingers pricked on sharp, spiny carapaces, and steamed scallops on the half-shell, with garlic (six for HK60) were a welcome respite. The scallops themselves, sadly, had little flavor of their own; fried celery with diced pork (HK45) fared a bit better.
Temple Spice Crabs
210 Temple St., Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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