Chaoshan Crab Congee 潮汕砂锅粥
Inspired by our trip to Chaoshan and the wonderful food consumed we made this simple congee that is a delectable treat for all seafood lovers. Just fresh crab and some rice and you're on your way to this authentic super duper Chaoshan Crab Congee 潮汕砂锅粥!
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 blue flower crabs, 藍花蟹
- 3/4 cup uncooked rice
- 1 tsp oil
- 8 cups water
- 2 tbsp Tianjin pickled vegetable 天津冬菜
- salt, if necessary
- 2 springs cilantro
- 1 sprig Chinese celery, 芹菜
- 1 sprig spring onion
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the crabs: Rinse the crab, scrubbing with a toothbrush if necessary. Remove the shell from the body by inserting fingers underneath the shell on the side opposite the eyes. You should be able to grab on and pull the shell and body apart. Remove the greenish grey gills and discard. Twist off the crab claws. Use a cracker tool or something heavy to lightly crack the claws. Use a cleaver to chop the body into fourths, leaving the legs attached to the body.
- 2
Prepare pickled veg: Taste a piece of pickled veg to check salt level. It should be salty enough to flavor the congee. If you think the saltiness is excessive you can soak in water to remove some of the salt. (This check is because different brands of pickled veg might have different salt levels.) Chop the pickled veg and reserve.
- 3
Prepare the aromatics: Rinse and dry the cilantro, Chinese celery and spring onion. Roughly chop the cilantro and celery, including the leaves. Slice the spring onions to rounds.
- 4
Boil the congee: Add the water, rice and oil to a large deep pot. When the water boils turn down the heat to medium low and let cook, stirring occasionally until the rice just starts to break up, around 20 mins. Add the crab and pickled veg in and cook a further 5 mins or until the crab has turned a bright orange and the rice is just breaking up. If the congee is too thick add boiling water to adjust to desired amount of wateriness. Test the congee and add extra salt (or soy sauce) if needed.
- 5
Serve the congee: Divide the crab body and legs equally into 4 bowls. Scoop the congee over the crabs. Top off two of the bowls with the crab shells. Sprinkle the aromatics over the congee. Serve hot and crabbilicious!!