King Crab Claw with Mock Crab Recipe

by Andrew Wong
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2–3, to share as part of a larger meal
2 hours

Ingredients

Ginger lime dressing

  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 1/2 chillies, roughly chopped
  • 80g of caster sugar
  • 33g of ginger, minced
  • 50g of fish sauce
  • 50g of lime juice

King crab

  • 100g of king crab, claw only
  • vegetable oil, for scorching
  • 5g of spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of chilli, finely chopped

Mock crab

  • 500ml of vegetable oil
  • 50g of white crab meat, picked
  • 80g of egg white
  • 200ml of chicken stock, homemade (not from a cube, as it needs to be gelatinous)
  • 20ml of Shaoxing wine, aged if possible
  • 3 tbsp of cornflour, mixed with 3 tbsp of water to form a paste
  • 5g of coriander, finely chopped
  • 5g of ginger, finely chopped
  • 5g of red chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli garlic paste, fermented, from a jar

To serve

  • micro salad leaves, such as sorrel, coriander, carrot tops and garlic chives
  • 5ml of red rice vinegar

Method

1
Use a pestle and mortar to bash together the sugar, garlic, chilli and ginger into a rough purée. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce, then set aside for 2 hours to allow the chilli to become more piquant and the flavours to mingle
  • 80g of caster sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 1/2 chillies, roughly chopped
  • 33g of ginger, minced
  • 50g of lime juice
  • 50g of fish sauce
2
Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the king crab claw for 2 minutes to release the meat from the shell. Cut open the shell and remove the meat from the claw – it’s fine if the meat breaks apart into several large pieces
  • 100g of king crab, claw only
3
Pour a little vegetable oil into a pan and place over a medium heat. You want the oil to be scorching hot to finish cooking the crab
  • vegetable oil, for scorching
4
Place the crab claw pieces into a steamer basket and top with the garlic, coriander and chilli. Steam for 3 minutes or until cooked through, then place the crab in a heatproof bowl and top with the spring onion. Pour the scalding vegetable oil over the crab, then set aside
  • 1 pinch of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of chilli, finely chopped
  • 5g of spring onions, finely chopped
5
For the mock crab, bring the vegetable oil up to 160°C. Pour in the egg white whilst constantly whisking to break them up. Once these have set, drain them from the oil and refresh in iced water
  • 500ml of vegetable oil
  • 80g of egg white
6
In a fresh pan, add a little oil and fry the ginger until aromatic (about 1 minute). Add the white crab meat, chilli and the Shaoxing wine, stir and cook briefly, then add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes to get the sweetness from the crab into the stock, then taste and check for seasoning
  • 5g of ginger, finely chopped
  • 50g of white crab meat, picked
  • 20ml of Shaoxing wine, aged if possible
  • 200ml of chicken stock, homemade (not from a cube, as it needs to be gelatinous)
  • 5g of red chillies, finely chopped
7
Stir the cornflour paste into the stock and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add in the cooked egg whites and coriander and mix well, then transfer the mixture to a wide, shallow bowl or serving dish
  • 3 tbsp of cornflour, mixed with 3 tbsp of water to form a paste
  • 5g of coriander, finely chopped
8
Dab the top of each piece of king crab with the fermented garlic chilli, then place the crab on top of the mock crab. Dress the salad leaves with the ginger lime dressing, then neatly place on top of the king crab. Finish with a sprinkling of the red rice vinegar and serve
  • 1 tsp chilli garlic paste, fermented, from a jar
  • micro salad leaves, such as sorrel, coriander, carrot tops and garlic chives
  • 5ml of red rice vinegar