Ganjang (Soy Sauce Marinated) Lobster
Obligatory disclaimer that there is a risk of eating food raw, especially seafood. Proceed at your own risk. Also included is the disclaimer for safely eating the tomalley (cooked or raw) of crustaceans, also proceed at your own risk.
I have been craving ganjang gejang, which is a Korean dish of raw crabs marinated in soy sauce. It’s often nicknamed the “Rice Thief” because it’s so delicious it can make a whole bowl of rice disappear. Unfortunately, female blue claws are hard to come by right now, and for whatever reason I have been unable to find any. I did see a tub… albeit empty, at the Asian supermarket which had a whopping price tag of $36 per dozen on it.
In the end, I decided to forego looking for more, and turned my attention to something that is more readily available where I am: lobsters.
Lobster can be done in the same way (and there are a few videos out there showing people eating it), but it’s not as popular. Shrimp is also a popular option too, but I’d have to find live head on shrimp to guarantee freshness, and that’s possibly even more difficult to source. Raw abalone may be next on my list, since that can be found at the Korean grocery store.
In any case, I ferreted home a lobster from my local fish store and stuck it in the freezer while I made the marinade. Choose one that’s smaller, a pound or so, so that it doesn’t take too long to marinate. Lobster is far easier to clean than crab—give it a good scrub and simply cut the membrane behind the head, lift (but without separating) the head shell and remove the lungs from the sides. Cut an opening in the membrane between the claw joints to allow the marinade to penetrate the claw shell. Be careful not to lose the fatty tomalley (or roe, if you are so lucky to find a lobster with it)!
After a minimum of 24 hours, you can remove the tail meat, slice thin, pour a bit more of the marinade on, garnish with the marinated tomalley, spring onion, sesame seed, sliced peppers, a drizzle of sesame oil, and eat with a bowl of hot white rice.
Ganjang Marinade Recipe
- 1.5 cup soy sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup Sake
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 apple
- 1 onion
- 2 Jalapeno peppers
- 1 inch ginger, peeled
- 12 garlic cloves, 8 whole, 4 minced
- 1 tablespoon dried kombu stock, or 1 sheet kombu
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green bell peppers or hot peppers for garnish
- 1/2 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
- Combine the soy sauce, sake, water, sugar, kombu, onion, apple, jalapeno, whole garlic, ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes. Strain and cool.
- Add lemon, minced garlic, and sliced peppers