Korean Soy Sauce Marinated Crabs (간장게장) / Ganjang Gejang
delicious / sedap / 好吃 / 맛있어요 crabs!!
this dish has been living rent-free in my mind ever since I first tasted it three years ago at a Korean restaurant in Tanjong Pagar. raw and lightly cured seafood has always been among my greatest culinary pleasures—whether it’s sushi, sashimi, ceviche, kinilaw, Thai raw shrimp in fish sauce, fish carpaccio or poke.
when I finally found the time to develop my own Ganjang Gejang recipe, I was genuinely thrilled to revisit that unforgettable experience: the rich, creamy sweetness of raw crab flesh and luscious crab roe, enveloped in a deeply savoury soy marinade. after several rounds of testing and refinement, I arrived at a recipe that truly satisfied what I had been craving.
one aspect I refused to compromise on was the quality and freshness of the crabs. Since this dish is never exposed to high temperatures, using live crabs is, in my opinion, essential. with crabs that have already died, there’s simply no way of knowing how long they’ve been sitting before reaching the market. as they won’t be cooked, the risk of bacterial growth and foodborne illness is considerably higher if the crabs are no longer at their freshest.
live flower crabs can be surprisingly difficult to source in Singapore, with live mud crabs being far more common. we managed to find ours at Auntie Crabs at West Coast Market. if that’s a little out of the way, The Ocean Mart in Geylang also stocks live flower crabs every Tuesday and Saturday.
as for the soy marinade, I spent a fair amount of time fine-tuning the balance until it was exactly how I wanted it—a harmonious combination of savoury depth, gentle sweetness and a subtle kick of chilli. just as important as the marinade itself is the curing time. I found that allowing the crabs to marinate for 48 to 60 hours produced the ideal result: enough time for the flavours to fully permeate the crab meat while preserving its delicate sweetness and avoiding excessive salinity.
get the ingredients of this recipe here!
light soy sauce, korean rice syrup, dried kelp (dashima), mushroom seasoning, seaweed sheets, shortgrain rice
if you’re looking to try making other crab recipes, check them out here!:
Poo Pad Pong Karee (ปูผัดผงกะหรี่): A deliciously spicy and rich Thai crab curry which leaves you licking fingers!
Recently, on our regular wet market visits to buy ingredients for our cooking shoots, we stumbled upon a friendly and jovial character, charming market goers and customers with her wide smile and warm demeanour.
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