Crispy Kkanpung Kkotge (Spicy Garlic Blue Crab)
A special dish of blue crab deep-fried twice until crispy and quickly tossed in a sweet and spicy 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 →
Tender frozen cut blue crab is deep-fried twice until crispy and quickly tossed in a sweet and spicy seasoning. It is crispy enough to chew shell and all while the meat inside stays tender, making it perfect as a beer snack or for a special dinner table. When eating with children, it is good to cook without the spicy peppers.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Cut blue crab300 g
- Onion1/5
- Red chili pepper1
- Large green onion (daepa)a little
- Vietnamese chili pepper (or cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili))5
- Scallions (jjokpa)3–4 stalks (optional)
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Cooking oil2–3 tbsp
Crab Marinade
- Salt1/2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
Batter
- Potato starch1/3 cup
- Frying mix (twigim-garu)2 tbsp
- Water1/3 cup
Kkanpung Sauce
- Oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Vinegar1 tbsp
- Water3 tbsp
- For deep-frying to eat shell and all, frozen cut blue crab, which is small in size and has a soft shell, is suitable.
- Naturally thaw the blue crab in the refrigerator, drain through a strainer, and trim with kitchen shears to cut off the hardest claws and the fleshless tips.
- You can substitute Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili) for the Vietnamese chili pepper, and the red chili pepper and scallions can be omitted.
Steps
Frozen cut blue crab is suitable for deep-frying crab to eat shell and all.
It is small in size and has a soft shell.
Naturally thaw it in the refrigerator and drain through a strainer.
Among the crab legs, use kitchen shears to cut off the hardest claws
and the tips where no meat is attached.
I prepared Vietnamese chili peppers for spiciness, but you can replace them with Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili).
Red chili pepper and scallions prepared for color can also be omitted.
Prepare the onion and large green onion (daepa) if possible for aroma and chop them finely.
Lightly sprinkle salt and ground black pepper with your hands, and let it sit until ready to fry so the seasoning absorbs.
Add all the kkanpung sauce ingredients and mix them together.
If you fry with only potato starch coated on, a lot of powder gets into the oil, so today I made a frying batter.
When I did 1/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup water at 1:1, the batter was too thin, so I added 2 tbsp frying mix (twigim-garu).
Dip the crab into the batter and put it into the heated oil to fry.
Fry once until it takes on a light yellow color and take it out,
then fry twice until it turns a light brown color and drain the oil.
Now let's make the kkanpung sauce and stir-fry quickly.
Heat a pan, swirl in 2 to 3 tbsp cooking oil, and add minced garlic, large green onion, and onion to bring out the aroma.
Add the Vietnamese chili pepper (or Cheongyang chili pepper) and stir-fry until the spicy aroma rises.
Pour in the kkanpung sauce, and when it starts to bubble...
Add the fried crab, scallions, and red chili pepper, and stir-fry quickly over high heat so the sauce coats evenly.
Turn off the heat, mix in toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds at the end, and you are done.
Ppunwife's tips
- If you fry with only potato starch coated on, a lot of powder gets into the oil, so today I made a frying batter.
- If you want to enjoy it with children, simply make it without the spicy aromatics.
FAQ
What kind of blue crab is best to choose for deep-frying?
Using frozen cut blue crab, which is small in size and has a soft shell, makes it suitable to eat shell and all.
Are there parts that should be removed when cleaning the blue crab?
It is best to cut off the hardest claws and the fleshless leg tips with kitchen shears.
Can I use other ingredients instead of Vietnamese chili peppers?
To add spicy flavor, you can substitute Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili) for the Vietnamese chili pepper.
How can I make this to eat with children who cannot eat spicy food?
If you leave out spicy aromatics such as Vietnamese chili peppers when cooking, the whole family can enjoy it without worry.
