Ingredients

• 2 Deibert Seafood Whole Dungeness Crabs

Brine

• 6 cups cold water
• 2 tbs sea salt or kosher salt

Stir fry

• 4-6 smashed garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup cooking oil (I used Youyou Tea seed oil but you can use canola, or vegetable oil)
  + crab sauce below

Crab Sauce

• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp msg (optional)
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1-2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• + “mustard” from the 2 dungeness crabs

Crab Sauce

• 1 handful of cilantro (optional)
• 1 handful of chopped scallions or chives
• Few lime wedges
• Optional jalapeño or Thai chili pepper slices for heat

Directions

1. Use a brush to clean off crab under cold water.
2. Flip the crab over and tip off the triangular flap, the “apron”, on its underside and discard the flap/apron.
3. Remove the top hard shell from the body. Using one hand you want to gather up the claws on one side of the body, then use your other hand to pull the shell away from the gathered up claws.
4. Use a spoon to scrape the yellow crab “mustard” & tomalley from the shell. Then place it into a small bowl and set aside. Don’t throw this away, it contains all the yummy umami crab flavor and we will use it to make it’s sauce! If you are absolutely disgusted about this part, you can skip this step but I would advise against it.
5. Discard the spongy gills from the center of the body sections. Then cut the crab in half lengthwise to separate one side of legs from the other side, then cut those sections in half to split up the leg sections into nice portions.
6. Tap & crack the knuckles and claws so that they are easy to eat and so that the marinade can penetrate to the meat.
7. Place crab sections into a bowl with the cold brine (cold water and salt) and let soak in fridge for 45 min.
8. While your crab is brining, make your sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients. Add fish sauce in last to taste (about 1-2 tsp is plenty). If you are afraid of fish sauce or don’t have it on hand simply, skip it or replace with light soy sauce.
9. After 45 min is up. Drain crab in colander and set aside. Heat up oil in a pan and add smashed garlic cloves (just use the side of your knife and smash down on garlic cloves to flatten them) after oil is hot and shimmery.
10. Once garlic is nicely browned and oil is fragrant, remove the garlic pieces. Leave about 1 tbs of oil in the pan (reserve the rest of the oil in a small heat proof cup or bowl) and cook the crab mustard with about 1/2 tsp of salt. Let simmer for about a minute or two and remove and place in a bowl.
11. Add back in remaining oil and heat on med-high until oil is hot. Then add your crab sections back in and cook with a lid on until crab claws and legs are orange in collar and meat in the body sections are cooked through. In last minute of cooking, add half your scallions, and optional: jalapeno, cilantro and chili peppers. Toss, and then plate immediately.
12. Plate crab on a nice rounded plate. Pour remaining sauce over crab sections, and garnish with some remaining scallions, and optional: jalapeno, cilantro and chili peppers.
13. Eat plain with a side of rice, or with the optional nuoc cham dipping sauce above! And eat up the remaining sauce with rice, it’s the best part for me at the end!