Mud Crabs aka Egg Crabs

Wholely crab !!! Yes, I was quite "thankful" when I chanced upon a "tankful" of one of my favorite shellfish the other day - the "Mud Crab".

Though the name itself might be a put-off, I'm sure most seafood connoisseur will agree that the taste is a different story altogether.Don't mean to come off sounding sexist, but IMHO only the female mud crabs, also known as "egg crabs", are the ones that really make good eating. Haha.. go figure.

The mud crab is not as fleshy as the dungeness crab, so I always choose the heavy ones to get more flesh for my buck. Besides, the heavier they are, the fresher they are too.The mud crab is rarer than its cousins in the North American market, which is why it comes with a higher price tag here. Here in Los Angeles, it is around ten to fifteen dollars when its in season and can easily go above twenty dollars off-season.

So you can imagine my joy when I found a couple of "drop dead" gorgeous female mud crabs for only three dollars per pound at the market. Yes, I mean they had literally just "dropped dead" a couple of hours ago that's why they were so cheap. Lucky me:) Ooooo.. check out the orange eggs hidden under their shells, delicious aren't they ?

So tell me, what is your best crab recipe that I can use for these lovely ladies ?

First off, thank you kindly for all your equally tantalizing suggestions. I can't wait to try each and every one of them next time I have my crustacean guests over for dinner again :P

This time around, since they were DOA (dead on arrival), I'm just going to quickly whip something up with whatever I have sitting pretty in my fridge while they are still fresh. Finally, I can indulge in my own "roe" fantasy after drooling over these for days. Also, don't forget to hop over to Bee and Mae for more yummylicious crab recipes that's bound to rock your socks off !!

So, people, get your bib on, whip out your crab cracker, and let the crab fest begin! :)

Lemongrass And Pepper Crab Recipe

Ingredients :
2 medium sized egg crabs ( cleaned, claws removed and lightly cracked, torso cut in half )
1/2 stalk of fresh lemongrass ( cut )
2-3 dried bay leaves
2 shallots ( minced )
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp fermented soy beans ( mashed )
3-4 dried chili pods ( optionally remove seeds for a milder taste )
cut green bell peppers
1 tbsp crushed black peppercorn
1 tbsp crushed white peppercorn
chinese rice wine ( OR other cooking wine )
salt and sugar to taste

Method :
1) Rub minced shallots, garlic, and ginger all over the crab torsos, and steam for 5 minutes. ( The claws need not included as they cooked easily. )
2) Saute lemongrass, bay leaves, soy beans, bell peppers, and chili pods in wok until fragrant.
3) Dump steamed crab parts and raw crab claws into wok. Dash in the crushed black and white peppercorn, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4) Splash in a generous amount of rice wine, and any crab "juice" leftover from the steaming. Add salt and sugar to taste.
5) Cover wok and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Steam Black Cod

When it comes to fish, my favorite is the Black Cod because of it's unparalleled silky, rich flavor and delicate buttery texture, especially if it's procured live from the tank. The most famous Black Cod recipe is Chef Nobu's Black Cod with Miso. I would certainly like to try that sometime. But for today, I'll stick to the popular Cantonese cuisine old time Chinese favorite fish recipe - Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallions. One thing to remember when cooking black cod is to steam it WHOLE. In chinese tradition, it is a sign of prosperity, especially during Chinese New Year. Well, at least that's how mom taught me. Besides, I find that it's tastier when it's cooked bone-in.

The restaurants in Chinatown can easily charge over twenty dollars for this fish and the black cod they use is only slightly over a pound. Furthermore, they like to serve it the Teowchew cuisine's style, that is to steam the black cod with with "choy po", in cantonese, for preserved turnip, so it's a little too salty than I how I would prefer it. So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon a tankful of them at my local Asian grocery store, the Hawaii Supermarket, and Wham ! Bam ! Carpe Diem ! I went home happy with a two pound whopper for only twelve dollars.

Okay, on to the black cod recipe ...

Ingredients :
1 whole Black Cod
3-4 oz. shredded ginger
5-6 oz. shredded green onions
1 tbsp fried shallot oil
( Use the fried shallots available in small plastic containers from any Asian grocery store, soak 1 tbsp in 2 oz. cooking oil overnight OR microwave on high for 2 minutes )
3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
( OR any cooking wine of your choice. You may even use cooking-Mirin or Sake for a more robust flavor )
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce OR a tbsp of unsalted whole soy beans available in glass jars. ie. Yeos Unsalted Soy Beans )
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt and sugar to taste
3-4 oz. water

Method :
1) Cut some slits across the body of the fish approximately an inch apart.
2) Rub the shallot oil, salt and sugar all over the fish and place it on the steaming tray.
3) Sprinkle the ginger and green onion over the fish, making sure some of them get into the slits.
4) Mix the wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and water and splash it slowly all over the fish.
5) Bring a wok of water to boil. Place steamer stand in and the tray of fish over the stand.
6) Steam for approximately 10-12 minutes.(Seafood does not require long to cook). Stick a fork in the fish and pry slightly to check for doneness.