Ganjang Gejang (Soy Sauce Marinated Crab)
A beloved Korean rice-stealer: fresh blue crab steeped in a savory-sweet soy brine and left to cure. Easier than the spicy version, it comes together simply by boiling the sauce, cooling it, and pouring it over. After a day or more in the fridge the crab meat turns tender and deeply savory.
Ingredients
Main
- Blue crab5
Soy Brine
- Soy sauce3 mugs
- Water3.5 mugs
- Apple1
- Cheongyang chili4
- Red chili2
- Whole garlic cloves7-10
- Ground ginger1 tbsp (or fresh ginger)
- Soju3 tbsp (or rice wine)
Directions
- 1
From April to June, female blue crabs full of roe are at their best. Pick ones that feel heavy in the hand, a sign the shell is packed with meat.
- 2
Combine 3 mugs soy sauce, 3.5 mugs water, sliced apple, Cheongyang chilies, red chilies, 3 tbsp soju, and ground ginger. Bring to a rolling boil, then cool completely. Adjust the soy sauce to taste; you can swap the apple for 100% apple juice.
- 3
While the sauce cools, clean the crabs. Trim off the sharp points with kitchen scissors.
- 4
Scrub the crabs clean all over with a kitchen brush.
- 5
Place the crabs in a container and pour the fully cooled soy sauce over them through a sieve.
- 6
Add a few fresh Cheongyang chilies and dried red chilies, pour in plenty of the soy sauce, and cure in the fridge for at least a day. It tastes best on the third day. To keep it longer, lift out the crabs and freeze them; take out what you need and pour the brine over to serve.