Oil-baked Red Mud Crab (Yóu Jú Hóng Xún)
Red mud crab has tender meat and rich roe. This oil-baking method locks in sweetness and aroma, making it a classic Fujian dish.
Ingredients
10 items- Red mud crabs 2 (about 600g)
- Ginger 30g
- Scallions 3
- Garlic 5 cloves
- Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce 1 tbsp
- White sugar 1 tsp
- Cooking oil 3 tbsp
- Cilantro a small bunch
Nutrition
Steps （7 steps）
Scrub crabs clean. Remove top shell, gills, and innards. Chop each into 4 pieces, crack claws. Marinate with 1 tbsp wine and ginger slices for 10 minutes.
Slice ginger, cut scallions, crush garlic. Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and remaining wine in a bowl.
Heat oil in a clay pot over medium heat. Sauté ginger, scallions, and garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Place crab pieces shell-side down in a single layer. Pour in the sauce and a drizzle of wine along the edge.
Cover, reduce heat to low, and braise for 10-12 minutes until shells turn bright red and aroma intensifies.
Uncover, increase heat to high. Cook for 1-2 minutes, tossing to coat, until sauce thickens and clings to the crab.
Garnish with cilantro or scallions. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with pan juices.
Tips
Mastering heat is key: medium-high for aromatics, low for braising, high for reducing. Keeping crab shell-side down preserves roe and moisture.
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