Korean Spicy Marinated Raw Crab
It’s midwinter and I was suddenly hit with the craving for raw marinated crabs. Don’t ask me why but my appetite told me I needed to get me some of that delicious and succulent sweet treat or else I wasn’t going to be in a great mood this week, but it hit and it hit hard. I looked for ready made containers in my local Korean supermarket, but couldn’t find any, so I endeavored to make my own. The only way this could have been any better is if I had gone and caught the crabs on my own… but sadly it’s deep winter here. I’ll revisit this in the summer when we go crabbing down by the water again.
A word of warning, raw crabs (and all raw shellfish, in fact) can carry parasites and bacteria–it’s a risk some of us who are at the mercy of our stomachs must take.
Called Yangnyeom Gejang, it’s often served as a side dish in Korean restaurants. There are a few ways to marinate raw crabs–Chinese recipes have drunken crab as well. This recipe is Korean in origin with a spicy, slightly sweet sauce. It’s quickly marinated for just a few hours up to a few days. I used a food processor to make the marinade, which sped up the process and created a finer sauce that got into all the crevasses. I don’t have rice syrup, so I used some honey instead. How spicy you make it is entirely up to you, but I prefer it mild to medium.
It’s gorgeous just with some hot white rice and roasted seaweed.
Ingredients
- 2 inch ginger, peeled
- 12 cloves garlic
- 2 sprig green onion
- 4 tablespoons Korean red pepper powder/flakes
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup matchsticked apple
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sake or rice wine
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- 4 live blue claw crabs, preferably female
- Place blue claws into the freezer for 2 hours. Remove from freezer and thoroughly wash and clean with a firm bristled brush.
- Remove carapace (top shell), reserve. Remove lungs. Cut body into quarters.
- Place garlic, ginger,soy sauce, sake, and honey into a food processor. Blend until smooth. Mix with bell pepper, apple, and carrot.
- Cover blue claw pieces and carapace in marinade and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 – 2 hours. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Serve with hot white rice and toasted seaweed.