Crab in Ginger Sauce
Chinese whole crab wok-fried with fresh ginger, scallions, and red pepper in a glossy sherry-soy sauce thickened with cornstarch. Messy, hands-on, and absolutely worth it.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minPile of napkins. Roll up your sleeves. This is eat-with-your-hands Chinese cooking at its most rewarding.
Whole hard-shell crabs get cleaned, chopped, and stir-fried with matchstick ginger strips until the shells turn red and the kitchen fills with that intoxicating ginger-meets-hot-oil aroma. A quick sauce of dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and chicken bouillon gets poured in, simmers briefly, then thickens with a cornstarch slurry into a glossy glaze that clings to every piece.
Scallions and red pepper strips go in right at the end for color and crunch.
Chef Tips
- Cut the ginger into the thinnest possible matchsticks. Fine strips release maximum flavor into the oil during that first minute of frying and distribute evenly through the sauce.
- Crack the claws lightly with the back of a cleaver before cooking. This lets the sauce penetrate the shell so you get flavor all the way to the meat.
- Don’t skip the sesame oil. Half a teaspoon added to the vegetable oil gives the whole dish a toasty, nutty aroma that ties the Chinese flavors together.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse crabs with water.
Gently pull away round -hard shell on top.
With small sharp knife gently cut away the gray spongy tissue and discard.
Rinse crabs with water.
Cut off claws and legs.
Pound claws lightly with back of cleaver to break shell.
Chop down center of crabs to cut body in half.
Cut each half crosswise into 3 pieces.
Cut onions into 1-inch (2½ cm) pieces.
Remove seeds from pepper.
Cut pepper into thin strips.
Pare gingerroot.
Cut ginger into thin slices, then cut the slices into very thin strips.
Combine ½ cup (125 mL) of the water, the sherry, sugar, bouillon and soy sauce.
Combine remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) water and the cornstarch.
Blend well.
Heat vegetable and sesame oils in wok over medium heat.
Stir- fry ginger in the oils for 1 minute.
Add cut up crabs.
Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add sherry mixture and pepper to crab.
Stir-fry over high heat until liquid boils.
Reduce heat to low.
Simmer covered for 4 minutes.
Uncover and stir in cornstarch mixture.
Cook until sauce thickens.
Add onions.
Cook and stir for 1 minute.
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