As part of our Road to the Recipe series, we join Chef Chris Hastings at the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Alabama, as he makes another blue crab specialty: Blue Crab Dashi with bok choy, ginger, pig skin noodles, and bird pepper. Chris prepares the dashi and brings everything together in the Hot Wok™.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup peanut oil
  • 6 live blue crabs
  • 1/4 cup julienne ginger
  • 1 bird pepper, split
  • 12 baby bok choy, split and washed
  • 2 cups julienne Diakon radish
  • 2 cups julienne napa cabbage
  • 2 cups long beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
  • 2 cups picked blue crab meat
  • 8 basil leaves
  • 8 cups Crab Dashi (see recipe)

Ingredients for Crab Dashi

  • 6 blue crabs
  • 6 cups cold water
  • 2 bottles Kirin beer
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup crab tamale
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup kombu
  • 1/2 cup katsuobushi
  • Prepare 3 cups cooked pig skin noodles (or other noodle of choice)

Instructions

  1. Bring to a boil the water, beer, thyme, bay, salt. Add crab. Cover and cook for 12 minutes. Remove crab. Hold at room temperature. Strain broth into sauce pan, add chicken stock and tamale, bring to a boil, add kombu and katsuobushi. Turn off and let sit for 5 minutes, strain and reserve.
  2. Cleaning of crabs: Once cool remove carapace. Remove and save crab tamale. Split crab in half. Trim excess shell for easy access. Reserve.
  3. In wok over high heat add peanut oil, bird pepper and ginger. Cook for 15 seconds. Add baby bok choy, Diakon radish, napa cabbage, and long beans. Cook for 2 minutes. Add Crab Dashi and split crab. Bring to a simmer and turn off.
  4. Place even amounts of picked crab meat and noodles into large hot bowls. Place even amounts of vegetables into hot bowls. Place two pieces of whole crab with shell on in each bowl and pour even amounts of crab dashi into bowls. Top with torn basil leaves. Serve immediately.