Herbal Soy Sauce Marinated Crabs (Ganjang Gejang)
Herbal Soy Sauce Marinated Crabs (Ganjang Gejang)
How to Make Delicious, Non-Salty Herbal Ganjang Gejang
Female crabs are best just before their spawning season in spring, full of roe, while male crabs are tastier in autumn after spawning. This recipe was made with autumn crabs, but using spring crabs that are full of roe will make it even more delicious. Fresh crabs are used, and to avoid excessive saltiness, I’ve made a special soy sauce marinade using kelp broth, diluted to create a non-salty, perfectly balanced sweet and savory flavor, just like at a professional crab restaurant. This delicious ganjang gejang, free of any fishy smell, is enriched with herbal ingredients like Ash, Astragalus, and Jujubes, along with various aromatic vegetables. Soju also plays a crucial role in eliminating any fishy odor and enhancing its preservation. After one day of refrigeration, I boiled the soy sauce marinade, cooled it, and added it back for another day of maturation. After a total of two days of aging, the seasoning was just right – not too salty, and incredibly delicious! It was so good, I almost reported it to the police for being a rice thief! Haha~
Ingredients- 5 fresh blue crabs
1st Marinade- 6 cups soy sauce
- 7 cups kelp broth
- 2 cups soju
2nd Marinade- 4 cups additional broth
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plum extract (maesilcheong)
- 1/2 cup soju
- 1 onion (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 leek (roughly chopped)
- 1 slice ginger
- 7 cloves garlic
- 2 pieces Ash (Acanthopanax senticosus)
- 2 pieces Astragalus root
- 4 jujubes
- 7-8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 Cheongyang peppers (sliced diagonally)
- 1 red chili pepper (sliced diagonally)
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups soy sauce
- 7 cups kelp broth
- 2 cups soju
2nd Marinade- 4 cups additional broth
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plum extract (maesilcheong)
- 1/2 cup soju
- 1 onion (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 leek (roughly chopped)
- 1 slice ginger
- 7 cloves garlic
- 2 pieces Ash (Acanthopanax senticosus)
- 2 pieces Astragalus root
- 4 jujubes
- 7-8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 Cheongyang peppers (sliced diagonally)
- 1 red chili pepper (sliced diagonally)
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare about 2 liters of kelp and anchovy (or dried small anchovy) broth. Once boiled, strain out the solids, leaving only the clear broth. Let the broth cool completely. Since it takes time to cool, it’s best to boil and cool the broth before you start preparing the crabs to ensure you can marinate them while they are fresh. If you’re pressed for time while marinating, you can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot of broth in an ice bath.
Step 2
Live crabs can be a bit intimidating to handle! For easier and safer preparation, place the crabs in the freezer for about 1 hour to temporarily stun them. Once they’re less active, carefully hold them with tongs. Use scissors to cut away the thin membrane or ‘net’ under the shell. Then, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to wash off any residual sawdust or debris.
Step 3
Arrange the cleaned crabs in a container or bowl with their belly facing upwards and their back shell downwards. Pour the soy sauce, soju, and the cooled kelp broth over the crabs. Cover and refrigerate for about 4-5 hours. This initial soak helps to further stun them and begins the marinating process.
Step 4
Remove the crabs from the marinating liquid and pour all the liquid into a saucepan. Add all the ingredients for the second marinade. To balance the saltiness, add the extra broth and all the remaining seasoning ingredients. Cover the pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the ingredients to soften.
Step 5
While the second marinade is simmering, keep the crabs you removed in the refrigerator to stay cool. It’s important to keep the crabs chilled until the soy sauce mixture is completely cool.
Step 6
Once the second marinade has cooled down completely, pour it over the chilled crabs. Ensure the marinade covers the crabs evenly for consistent flavor.
Step 7
Since we aimed for a less salty initial marinade, we’ll re-boil the soy sauce. After refrigerating for one day, carefully pour out the soy sauce mixture from the crabs into a clean saucepan. Bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. After this, let the soy sauce cool completely again before pouring it back over the crabs. This step deepens the flavor and ensures thorough seasoning.
Step 8
Now, let the ganjang gejang marinate in the refrigerator for another 1-2 days. This final aging period allows the flavors to fully develop, resulting in perfectly seasoned and delicious soy sauce marinated crabs. Your culinary masterpiece is ready to be enjoyed!
Step 9
If you plan to store the ganjang gejang for a longer period, it’s best to divide individual crabs into zip-top bags and freeze them. When you’re ready to eat, simply thaw them naturally. They will retain their fresh, non-salty, and delicious taste, just like when they were first made.
