Black Bean Whole Crab

Copyright 2009 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients
1 whole fresh Dungeness crab, uncooked (about 2 lbs.)
1 heaping T of black bean sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup water or broth
1 T cornstarch
2 T canola oil

Chop your live crab into pieces and set aside. (You can check out my demo here on how to chop and clean a live crab.) In hot wok or large skillet, heat oil with garlic on high heat. Add crab pieces and blend in black bean sauce, stir-frying for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add water or broth and cover wok to let your crab cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the shell turns orange. You might need to add more water if your wok dries out; stir pieces to get those that are not orange yet closer to the bottom heat.

In small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to create a slurry. Add cornstarch mixture in the wok with the heat on high to create a sauce. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Makes one to two servings. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Pair with glass of Riesling.

TIP: Keep it simple and just buy your black bean sauce in the jar. You can find them in any Asian grocery store or the Asian aisle of your supermarket. The sauce is pretty salty, which is why you don’t need to add more salt to your crab while cooking. It’s often labeled “black bean and garlic sauce.”