Mud crab with ginger, shallot and mushrooms

Ginger shallot sauce or style is a very typical style in Cantonese cuisine. For a special occasion dinner, cooking seafood is very luxurious and special. Usually ginger and shallot is used to get rid of the unpleasant smell or taste from seafood or poultry. It also adds flavour but at the same time without overpowering the protein.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 800 g–1 kg live mud crab
• vegetable oil, for deep frying, plus extra for wok frying
• 500 g potato starch, for dusting
• 200 g ginger, peeled and cut into julienne
• 50 g garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bunch spring onions, cut into 5-cm lengths
• 50 ml Shaoxing wine
• 150 g enoki mushrooms
• 150 g shimiji mushrooms
• 150 g oyster mushrooms
• 200 ml chicken stock or water
• 50 g oyster sauce
• sugar, salt and white pepper, to taste
• Knorr chicken liquid seasoning, to taste
• 1 tbsp potato starch, mixed with a little cold water
• coriander, to serve

Chilling time: 1 hour

Serves 4 as part of a meal

Instructions

1. To kill the crab humanely, place in the freezer for 1-2 hours to put to sleep. Spike the crab from the underside of the shell, then pull the top shell off the body, remove and discard the gills and cut the crab into pieces.
2. Heat the oil for deep–frying in a large, heavy–based saucepan to about 180°C. Dust the crab in potato starch to coat well, then fry the crab, in batches and starting with the claws first, for about 3-4 minutes or until nearly cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat a good drizzle of vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the spring onions and toss until just softened, then add the Shaoxing wine and simmer until evaporated. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the oyster sauce and season to taste with the sugar, salt, white pepper and chicken seasoning. Stir in the potato starch mixture and simmer until lightly thickened.
4. Add the fried crab pieces, toss to coat well, then transfer to a large serving plate and scatter with coriander. Serve immediately.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.