Ingredients for Crab Soup
– River crabs: 300g
– Water spinach: 1 bunch
– Chinese cucumber: 1 piece
– Shallots: 1 bulb
– Salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder
Tips for choosing delicious river crabs
– River crabs are at their best at the beginning and end of the lunar month when they are fattier and meatier. If you eat them in the middle of the month, they will be shedding their shells and will be thinner and weaker.
– Choose crabs with bright colors, a firm body, and all their claws intact.
– Crabs that produce a lot of foam and are ready to pinch are healthy and taste good.
– Male crabs have more meat, while female crabs have more roe. Many people prefer female crabs because they believe their meat is firmer.
– Crabs the size of a toe or larger will have more meat and a better aroma. Smaller, younger crabs will make the soup taste muddy. Avoid crabs with eggs, as they will make the soup taste fishy.
How to Cook Crab Soup
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients before cooking crab soup
– Wash the river crabs with salt and filtered water.
– Peel and thinly slice or finely chop the shallots.
– Finely chop the water spinach.
– Peel and slice the Chinese cucumber diagonally.
– Separate the crab shell and body into two bowls.
– Scoop out the crab roe and set it aside in a small bowl.
– Remove and discard the crab’s mouthparts.
– Pound the crab meat in a mortar and pestle, filtering it twice to get the crab juice; discard the pulp.
Step 2: Cook the crab soup
– After pounding and filtering the crab, add a little salt to taste. Then, use a pair of chopsticks to stir quickly in a circular motion over high heat until the crab roe starts to float to the top.
– Continue to adjust the heat until all the crab roe has floated to the surface, then reduce the heat to low and scoop out the roe to prevent it from breaking.
– For crab congee, stir-fry some tomatoes and add them to the soup. For water spinach and Chinese cucumber soup, add the chopped water spinach first, followed by the sliced Chinese cucumber, and finally, the crab roe. Ladle the soup into bowls.
With this cooking method, you’re guaranteed to have crab soup with naturally solidifying crab roe.
Good luck cooking crab soup with these steps!