I don’t claim that this Scallion Ginger Cantonese crab is the easiest recipe to make, but follow these directions and you’ll be in for a real treat. Really, the challenge comes from uh…dispatching and prepping the crab. Once you’ve gone over that hurdle, it’s very quick and easy to cook. In fact, you must have everything completely prepped and ready before you turn on the stove, because everything happens so quickly.
I’ve seen many people try to make this dish without getting it right, and this is the most comprehensive step-by-step, authentic recipe you will ever find. Mainly, I wanted to make this available to Sarah and Kaitlin so this detailed ginger scallion Cantonese crab recipe won’t get lost in future generations. After you’ve tried it a few times, you’ll realize it’s really not that hard! Every time I make this dish, people walk away thinking they’ve been to Chinatown for a meal.
First thing’s first: find a good fish market to get live crab. The second choice would be the supermarket, but I have generally found that it’s difficult to find fresh crab there. I prefer blue crab when they are in season, which is generally late summer in the US. Here in Beijing, it’s August through September. For this recipe, don’t use lake crabs, as the preparation would be different. The pictures should give you a good idea of what you are looking for.
The fish monger will generally ask you if you want male or female crab, and what you choose depends upon the season and whether you like crab roe, which makes the dish even more savory. At the time I cooked this recipe, the female crabs didn’t have any roe, but it’s good to get them when they do. The easiest way to tell the difference is the visible roe or to check the flap at the bottom of the crab. Females usually have a wider flap than the males, but this is where a good fish monger is helpful. He or she may be able to help you prep the crabs as well. If not, just read on!
Here’s what you’ll need for the Cantonese crab recipe:
- 3 live blue crab or similar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons oil
- 4-5 slices of ginger
- 4 scallions
- 3 tablespoons shaoxing wine (measure it out in a small cup before you start cooking)
- pinch of sugar
- white pepper
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
On to the prep work. Here’s the step-by-step process:
Put the crabs into the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to slow them down enough for easy handling. Usually, crabs have rubber bands around the claws, but if not, the best way to handle them is to hold them from the back as pictured so that you’re always out of reach of their claws. Transfer the crab to a cutting board.
Grip the crab as shown and firmly snap the top off (this essentially dispatches the crab. Any other “movements” you might see after that are just nerve reactions. Don’t freak out!)
Use a firm grip to remove the flap under the crab. See that wider flap which indicates a female crab!
Take out the mouth parts and the stomach, which is directly behind the mouth. You can remove roe and “mustard” (the green stuff) but I suggest you leave it in there. If you’re a beginner, then you can just remove everything. And yes, the pictures aren’t exactly appealing. No one said this was all rainbows and bunnies.
The outer crab shell also has that “mustard” as well so remove the portion of the crab “mouth” there and carefully clean and rinse the shell.
Remove the inedible gills on both sides of each crab.
Rinse and clean the crab under running water to remove any sand.
And that’s it! The hard part’s over. Congratulations. It’s all a breeze from here:
Cut each top shell in half to make the pieces more manageable.
Then cut each crab in half. Place all the cut pieces in a colander to let any excess water drain off.
Remove the claws with a cleaver or sharp knife. You can also remove them simply with your hands. Set the claws on a cutting board and give each one a light “whack” to crack it for easy eating later. You can skip this step if you prefer to leave it in tact and just use a crab cracker later.
This ginger scallion Cantonese crab dish should be done in two steps in the wok. The first step is to dredge the crab in flour and sear it. This seals in the juices and flavor before you stir-fry it. Take each of the crab halves and lightly dredge each piece in flour. Set the pieces on a clean plate and transfer the claws and shells to the same plate.
Sprinkle the remaining flour over the crab pieces lightly when you are done. You don’t want to drown it in flour…just get the meaty spots with a light coating.
Heat a wok with 4 tablespoons of oil and swirl the oil around so it heats evenly. You know you’ve reached the right temperature when you start to see just a little (not a lot!) of smoke on the sides of the wok. Now quickly place the meatiest pieces of crab in the oil and spread the claws and shells around the outside portion of the wok so that everything is in one layer.
Next, quickly tilt the wok around in a circle to get the oil spread around to all of the crab pieces. Keep the heat on high.
After another 15 seconds of this, use a metal spatula to roll the pieces around the oil for another 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove to a plate or small sheet pan. At this point, the crab should be about 50% cooked.
Clean the wok (don’t skip this!), put it back over the heat, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to it. Toss in the ginger pieces and cook until they are just starting to crystalize (15 seconds) and then add half of the scallions – use the whiter ends for this step and save the green part for later. This process infuses the oil with the ginger and scallion flavor.
Keep the heat on high and move quickly to add the crab back to wok. Now, quickly and continuously toss the crab with your spatula to get some good wok sizzle.
After about 10-15 seconds of “wokking,” add the wine in a circle around the pan all at once and immediately cover the wok and turn the heat down to medium. This is the “baking” process that makes this dish so flavorful! Let the crab cook like this for 2 to 3 minutes. During this process, it’s best to hold the cover and tilt the wok so the liquid hits the hot sides of the wok and you hear and see a sizzle generating that elusive “wok hay” flavor. If you have no sizzle, the heat is too low.
Remove the cover and spread the rest of the scallions over the crab. Add the sugar, the white pepper and the soy sauce and give everything a good mix for another few seconds. By now, any liquid should be a sauce now thickened by the flour, coating the crab. If you still have some liquid in the bottom of the wok, just turn up the heat and continue to stir-fry until it’s coating the crab.
And that’s it! Plate and serve. Enjoy this yummy lip smacking dish – Judy certainly does!
- 3 live blue crab or similar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons oil
- 4-5 slices of ginger
- 4 scallions
- 3 tablespoons shaoxing wine (measure it out in a small cup before you start cooking)
- Pinch of sugar
- white pepper
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Clean and prep the crabs for cooking (see step-by-step instructions within this post).
- Take each of the crab halves and lightly dredge each large piece in a light coating of flour. Transfer to a clean plate along with the claws and shells. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the crab pieces.
- Heat a wok with 4 tablespoons of oil, spreading the oil around the wok so it heats evenly. You know you have reached the right temperature when you start to see just a little (not a lot!) of smoke on the sides of the wok. Now quickly place each of the large pieces of crab in the oil and spread the claws and shells around the outside portion of the wok. Next, quickly tilt the wok around in a circle to get the oil spread around to all of the crab pieces, keeping the heat on high. After another 15 seconds of this, use a spatula and roll the pieces around the oil for another 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove to a plate or small sheet pan.
- Clean the wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and toss in the ginger pieces until they are just starting to caramelize (15 seconds) and then add half of the scallions – use the white pieces for this step.
- Keep the heat on high and move quickly to add the crab to wok and toss the crab around with your spatula to get some good sizzle. After about 10 seconds, add the wine in a circle around the pan and immediately cover the wok and turn the heat down to medium. Let the crab cook for 2-3 minutes. During this process, it is best to hold the cover and tilt the wok so the liquid hits the hot sides of the wok and you hear and see a sizzle generating that elusive “wok hay” flavor. If you have no sizzle, the heat is too low.
- Remove the cover and spread the rest of the scallions over the crab. Add the sugar, white pepper and soy sauce. Give everything a good mix for another 10 seconds. Plate and serve!
Alex says
Hi Bill,
Great looking recipe! My girlfriend has been chanting “crab, crab, crab” for the past month and I’ve never made it so felt rather daunted when looking at them in the market, but you break it down really well!
One question, you say “For this recipe, don’t use lake crabs, as the preparation would be different.” Here in Hangzhou, the markets are all overflowing with mitten crabs (the dictionary says 绒鳌蟹 but I’m not sure as the aunties say the name in 杭州话). I’ve seen them all over Shanghai and Suzhou, too. From what I gathered, these are estuary crabs. Could I use these in this recipe or would that be a no go? ‘fraid I never saw such large crabs as your picture shows – they’re all rather small, and I don’t think they’re soft shell, but I’d love to try this recipe.
Alex says
To note, I asked the auntie selling the crabs how to prepare them and she said they’re always served (whole) steamed with vinegar. While delicious, I’ve had it served this way half a dozen times in the past month and wanted to try a different preparation!
Bill says
Hi Alex, Yes, I bet they would say it’s a waste to cook the fresh crab any other way than steamed – like steaming fresh fish being the best way to enjoy it. But I understand that changing the preparation can be a welcome change-up, especially when the markets are plentiful with the crab during the season. Let us know how the ginger scallion version turns out with the lake crabs!
George says
Steam or boil the mitten crabs plain. If you prefer more intense flavor, remove the carapace and fill with black vinegar, scallions, la jiao, ect. for a little natural dipping saucer. The flesh is a little sweeter but in my opinion not much different from blue crabs…although during the right time of the year, the female mitten crabs have gobs of sweet, bright orange, fat and roe!
Bill says
Hi Alex,
I think 90% of the time, the lake crabs are prepared steamed because the attraction is the sweetness of these freshwater crabs. Hence, I generally use saltwater ocean crab, which you find mostly in the late summer (the season on the East Coast of the US and also in China). That said, I bet the mitten crabs will be quite tasty as well!
Sherry says
Oh boy that ginger crab just got me stirred up. U
kive it. I could eat it every day
Bill says
Hi Sherry, I don’t blame you because a good ginger scallion crab made with fresh crab is a real treat!
Eileen says
I am so happy to learn about your website,I had passed it onto my children as I cook without recipe and amounts , usual way for me to cook and when the children asked for the proportion ,I am lost , told them to watch me when I make the dishes. Now your website is so informative and they can learn from it
Thank you so much . I myself love it too.
Judy says
Hi Eileen, glad we can be helpful. Please come and visit us often.
Catherine says
My dad’s made this for my entire life, and I’ve never seen a recipe for it before. Imagine my surprise to see it, and almost identical! I love cleaning crab (I’m pretty odd I guess) but I def love this dish, and it reminds me of my parents every time.
Bill says
Hi Christa, thanks for sharing your experience!
M.C. Meyer says
OMG! This is outrageously good. I added some sambal to the recipe to give it a bit of bite and…. Whoa! I’m going to eat this again and again. Thanks for the recipe. I ust posted it on facebook it was soo good.
Sarah says
Love that you made this! It’s one of our slightly more challenging recipes if you’ve never prepared fresh crab. But sounds like you’re a pro at it!
Bam's Kitchen says
Bill, this dish is absolutely delicious! You are right, once you get past the dissecting and cleaning the crab the rest is a breeze. I love the fresh and delicious flavours in this dish. Its time to hit the wet market! Have a super weekend
Bill says
Thanks Bobbi Ann!
John says
Bill, I have a house on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Crabs are a mainstay in this area. I don’t know, but it seems to me this recipe could also be done with soft crabs. In case you don’t know, just after a crab sheds you can remove the gills, cut off the face and if it’s a female lift the soft top shell, remove the ovaries and gills and lay the soft top shell back in place. What you have is an intact crab that can be cooked and plated whole. You can eat EVERYTHING. Claws, legs, the entire crab. Nothing is left uneaten. Around here in season you can always buy soft crabs. Look for them the next time your in Jersey. I know you’ll find them up there. Please let me know what you think. I don’t want to poke my nose in your recipe but this looks so good and it is crying out for a soft crab. Can’t wait until Saturday for the Kung Pao Chicken. John
Judy says
Hi John, sorry to have missed your comment! We love soft crabs and the preferred cooking method is usually frying. You are right, we can find them in the seafood dept when they are in season. Thank you for your comment.
Sirina says
My boyfriend had a coupon for free crabs and in my infinite wisdom I invited a bunch of my friends over to a crab dinner. As Sarah may know, I’ve never cooked crab before. I am not sure what type of crab they were, and after trying to steam one, we decided to look up a recipe for crab. Of course my first choice was to come here and thank the heavens you explain how to “dispatch” them (though that was a sad and extremely terrifying process) and cut/clean them. Used the recipe though I had to adapt the ingredients a bit because we were making 8 crabs and it turned out great. Who knew I could make crab, though Li li helped a lot in the process. Will definitely instagram a pic when my friend posts one (though it isn’t as beautiful as yours).
Bill says
That’s awesome Sirina. Can’t wait to see your pics!
cynthia says
I love this post so much. This is SO cool — and I love that you said you’re posting it for Sarah and Kaitlin, because my mom is a pro at cooking the most delicious crab, but I don’t have the first idea how I’d do it. (All I have are memories of a particularly tense moment when a crab latched onto the fleshy part of my mom’s hand between her thumb and index finger and wouldn’t let go, amidst screams and my dad trying to coax it away with a chopstick. We all survived, except the crab.) This looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try it someday, when I get up the courage. :) Thank you so much for sharing!
Bill says
Thanks Cynthia! That’s a cool childhood memory :-)
Irina @ wandercrush says
Such an educational post! I’ve never attempted cooking crab in the kitchen, but this is definitely encouraging me to try. I love cantonese-style everything…
Judy says
Hi Irina, so sorry to have missed your comment from way back when! I also love Cantonese cuisine and have added many Cantonese dishes to our blog since. Have a look when you get a chance. Thank you so much.