DUNGENESS CHILI CRAB Recipe

Preparing the sauce ingredients mise-en-place: Mix chili sauce, ketchup, vinegar and 2 cups of water together; set aside. Beat egg whites with water; set aside. Mix cornstarch with water; set aside. Preparing the crab. Ask your fishmonger to kill and clean the shellfish for you, but you must cook it within 2-3 hours of killing. Otherwise, kill the fresh crab by stabbing it in the soft part of its underside. Remove gills (dead man’s fingers) and innards. Clean and pat dry the crab. Cut each crab into 6 pieces Reserve the crab roe. Cooking the crab: Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in wok. Fry the crab pieces including crab roe till bright vermillion red and fragrant. Remove crabs from wok to a large bowl. Do not wash wok! Using the same wok, and high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and brown garlic, ginger till fragrant; about 2 minutes. Add chili-ketchup sauce mixture. Bring to boil and add sugar and salt to taste. Drizzle on egg white in large circles, wait half a minute then stir to get silky threads of whites. Add cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken. Add back the crab to the wok. Mix well. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water. The sauce should coat the crab. Toss in the cilantro and scallions, leaving a small handful for garnish. Serve immediately and garnish with more cilantro and scallions.