Yangnyeom Gejang (Spicy Marinated Raw Crab)
A side dish of fresh blue crab cured in soy sauce and tossed in a sweet and spicy special sauce.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
A delicacy side dish made with plump fall male blue crabs, first cured in soy sauce water and then tossed in a spicy seasoning. Simmering the curing soy sauce down and mixing it into the sauce gives it a deep savory flavor, making it a hearty and appetizing side dish to enjoy.
- Servings
- about 4–5 servings
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Blue crab4 crabs, 1.5 kg
Pickling soy sauce
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1/2 cup
- Cheongju (Korean rice wine) (or cheongju (Korean rice wine))1/2 cup
- Water1 cup
- Sugar1 tbsp
Seasoning
- Pickling soy sauce1 cup
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2/3 cup
- Onion1/4 (grated)
- Korean pear1/4 (grated)
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalks (minced)
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper2
- Green plum syrup (maesil-cheong) (or corn syrup (mulyeot) or oligosaccharide syrup (oligodang))1 tbsp
- Minced garlic2 tbsp
- Ginger juice1 tsp
- Ground black pepper0.5 tsp
- Toasted sesame seeds
- In the fall, it is great to make yangnyeom gejang with male blue crabs, which are plump and chewy.
- You can use mirin instead of cheongju.
Steps
1. Buy live male blue crabs. I bought 4 large ones weighing 1.5 kg for 15,000 won.
Medium-sized ones would be about 6 crabs.
Cleaning instructions for blue crab are here ⇒ http://blog.naver.com/ppunwife/140043367432
2. Once the crabs are cleaned, use kitchen shears to cut off the sharp claws and the tips of the legs that have no meat.
3. To make them easy to eat, cut large ones into 4 and small ones into 2.
4. Here are the crabs once all the cleaning and prep are done.
5. The top shells (carapaces) of live crabs are fresh and can be used.
Use the shells along with the trimmed legs to make broth for doenjang soup or haemultang (spicy seafood soup).
6. Place the crabs in a container, mix together all the ingredients for the curing soy sauce water (1/2 cup regular soy sauce, 1/2 cup cheongju, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp sugar), and pour it into the container.
The cheongju is added to remove the fishy odor of the crabs. You can use mirin instead.
7. Let it sit for about 1 hour so the seasoning soaks into the crabs... Because the soy sauce liquid does not submerge the top of the crabs,
turn the container upside down after about 30 minutes and let it sit for another 30 minutes so the crabs are seasoned evenly throughout.
8. Finely grind half of the gochugaru going into the sauce in a blender. This makes a sauce with a much brighter, finer color.
If you want a fine paste-like sauce like gochujang, you can use only fine gochugaru.
10
9. I added Cheongyang chili peppers for heat; slice them diagonally along with the red chili peppers, and mince the large green onion.
If you dislike spicy food, you can omit the chili peppers.
10. After 1 hour, drain the seasoned crabs in a strainer and collect the soy sauce liquid.
11
12
11. Strain the collected curing soy sauce once more through a fine sieve, pour it into a pot, and simmer over low heat until the liquid reduces by half (to 1 cup). Let it cool.
12. Add the reduced soy sauce and all seasoning ingredients together, mix well, and let sit for about 30 minutes so the flavors meld.
Among the seasoning ingredients, adding too much onion juice can make it spicy and bitter, so 4-5 tbsp should be enough for this amount of crab.
If you prefer it sweeter, you can add more corn syrup or oligosaccharide syrup.
13
14
13. Add the crabs to the seasoning and toss thoroughly to coat evenly.
14. Keep the prepared seasoned crab in the refrigerator for one or two days before eating.
Ppunwife's tips
- Among the seasoning ingredients, adding too much onion juice can make it spicy and bitter, so 4-5 tbsp should be enough for this amount of crab.
- Finely grinding half of the gochugaru for the sauce in a blender will give the sauce a much prettier, finer color.
FAQ
Can I use another ingredient instead of cheongju in the curing soy sauce?
You can use mirin instead of cheongju to remove the fishy odor.
How can I use the leftover crab shells and trimmed legs?
Without throwing them away, you can use the fresh crab shells and trimmed legs to make broth for doenjang soup or spicy seafood stew.
How do I adjust the heat if I cannot eat spicy food well?
You can reduce the spiciness by omitting the Cheongyang chili peppers or red chili peppers from the seasoning.
Is it okay to eat it right after tossing it in the seasoning?
It is much better to let it age in the refrigerator for one or two days after tossing so the flavors absorb well.
