Description
A simple and delicious crab dish: deep-fried crab pieces with a crispy crust, then wok-stir-fried with a colorful mix of aromatics and seasonings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 whole Dungeness crabs
- 1 cup tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 3 green onions (cut into 1-inch segments with whites and greens separated)
- 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (for color)
- 1 jalapeno (optional for a spicy kick; thinly sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional)
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Prepare the crab: Clean the crab thoroughly and rinse well. Pull apart the shell from the rest of the body, then separate the crab legs. Make sure to include crab meat at the end of each crab leg. Coat the meaty ends of each crab leg with starch, dust off excess, and set aside. If using the shell too, ensure all the crab “butter” stay within the shell and coat the tomalley in the shell with starch.
- Make the seasoning mix: In a small bowl, combine salt, ground black pepper, and MSG. Set aside.
- Deep fry: Fill a large wok with vegetable oil and heat to 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a pinch of starch in the oil. If it sizzles rapidly, then the oil is ready. Deep fry the crab legs, in batches, until they float to the top (about 4 minutes per batch). If using the shell, make sure to deep fry with shell facing up to keep the crab “butter” intact. Push it down into the oil, if needed. Transfer crab to a plate lined with paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil.
- Stir fry: Remove oil from the wok, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Toss in the white ends of green onions, garlic, yellow onion, jalapenos, and bell peppers. Stir fry on high heat until blistered (about 1 minute).
- Finish: Add in the deep-fried crab legs. Sprinkle the salt-pepper-MSG mixture over the crab and toss until combined (about 1 minute). Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately for best results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish, appetizer, entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese, chinese