In the southern harbor city of Yeosu, where I lived until I went to high school, every family has its own version of this dish—crabs marinated in a mix of seasonings. This recipe is my mom’s. I once made it for some Japanese friends who had never had it, and the husband couldn’t stop eating it. Even though the pepper flakes made his face drip with sweat, he kept saying, “Delicious, delicious, delicious,” as he plowed through it. Getting live crabs is crucial: They will guarantee the freshest taste and the best texture. I use Atlantic blue crabs, which are smaller and easier to handle than the giant crabs my mom had to deal with. And I’ve developed my own humane way of preparing them; see the box above. Female crabs are best, because their orange roe and yellow tomalley (often called the “mustard” in Maryland) make the dish more colorful, sweet, and rich. How can you tell if a crab is male or female? Flip it over
and look at the apron. If it is dome shaped, it’s female; if it’s narrow and pointed, it’s male. Start this the day before so the crab has time to marinate.
Serves 8 to 12
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ pounds live female blue crabs (4 or 5 crabs)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Freeze the crabs for 2 hours to anesthetize them, then chop into bite-size pieces.
- Combine the soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, scallions, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add the crabs and turn to coat. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (you can eat the crab immediately, but it will taste better after it has had time to absorb the sauce).
- The spicy crab will keep for up to 1 week. Serve cold.
