Steamed Hairy Crab Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Hairy Crabs
- 2 dried perilla leaf (optional)
- 4 tbsp Zhejiang black rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp ginger, minced
- 4 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
Method
Crabs must all be alive at the point you cook them, as dead crabs will build up dangerous bacteria and toxins in their bodies. Store the crabs in your fridge until ready to cook. Wash crabs under running water and do not take off the string that is wrapping the crab. Prepare the steamer. Place perilla leaf in the boiling water. Put the crabs shell side down on your steaming plate (Legs up). Steam at high heat for 15 mins (small to medium crab) or 20 minutes (large crab).
Remove crabs from steamer immediately and place on serving plate. Let each diner peel and crack his own crab. Dip each bit of hairy crab meat into the sauce and eat.
For the sauce, stir the sugar in the vinegar until sugar is melted. (You may want to crush the sugar a bit first if you are using larger granules of sugar.) Add the minced ginger and stir. Pour into small dipping saucers, one for each diner.
Ginger Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices ginger, about 5 inches long
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste
- 2 1/2 cups water
Method
Meanwhile put water, sliced ginger and sugar in small pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or so until the tea is spicy and sweet. Add more sugar to taste.
Why Ginger Tea?
In Chinese medicine, crabs are considered extremely “cold” foods, so they must be balanced with “warm” foods such as ginger, yellow wine and perilla leaves to achieve harmony within the body.
Eating Tip
Discard only the gills you will see on each side of the crab after you lift off the top shell. Everything else soft is edible. You may need to supply your diners with seafood scissors and crab meat plucking utensils which you can usually buy where ever you are purchasing the crab. Happy Hairy Crab Eating!
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