Garlic-Ginger Dungenous Crab

The other day my wife and I were craving garlic-ginger crab. That afternoon, we were on a mission to buy crab, dungenous crab specifically. We purchased a two pound (about 1 kilo) weighted sized one. About $4,99/lb. We already had the garlic, ginger, olive & sesame oil, and butter. I find the dungenous crab the sweetest and most meaty. And it's readily available in the San Francisco bay area. It turned out delicious. Definitely finger licking good. It's messy, but worth the work. I figure it tastes better when there's work involved.

Ingredients:

1 Dungenous crab

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic (diced)

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (sliced thinly)

In a large pot, fill with water just enough to cover the crab. Boil water and drop crab inside boiling water. Cook for about 20- 30 minutes. Drain crab when done cooking.

When the crab is cooled enough to handle, remove the claws, and legs. Crack the claws and legs with the back end of a knife or seafood cracker. Separate the main body from the top shell. Remove the lungs and discard. Cut the main body into two halves.

In a small bowl, save and remove the crab fat (the yellow liquid & solids) from the top shell and from the main body. The crab fat has the most flavor. Use the liquid and solid later at the end of the cooking period.

Use a wok, preheated on med-medium high heat. Add cooking oils in the wok to heat for about one minute. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes. Add butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients so not to burn. Add the cooked crab pieces. Mix together and cook for about 3- 5 minutes. Add the crab fat liquid and solid.

Serve on a large plate. Side dishes include steamed rice or french bread and steamed green veggie like asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or bok choy.