How long to steam butter crab

October of every year is the crab season. For a country like China where most cities are landlocked, the price of seafood is really expensive, but the time of year when you can eat it is also within an acceptable range. Butter crab refers to the kind of crab with very fat roe. It feels so fat and oily when you poke it, a bit like the yolk of salted duck eggs. The specific time for steaming this kind of crab depends on its size. Those weighing less than 300 grams need about 10 minutes. The rule is a linear rule that the time increases by two minutes for every increase of 100 grams.

How long to steam butter crab

When making dishes such as steamed crabs, the whole live crab is usually steamed in a pot. After the steamer is boiled, put the crabs in. Steam them on high heat for about 5 minutes, then switch to low heat and continue steaming for a while. The specific steaming time depends on the size of the crabs:

Crabs weighing less than 3 taels should be steamed for about 10 minutes, those weighing 3 to 4 taels should be steamed for about 12 minutes, and those weighing more than 4 taels should be steamed for about 15 minutes. Generally, for every ounce of weight increase, the steaming time should be increased by about 2 minutes.

Butter Crab Recipe

Preparation method

Ingredients: Crab butter (300g), scallion (3g), ginger (3g), green garlic (3g), rice wine (16g), sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, MSG, water chestnut powder (12.5g), broth (100g)

step:

1. Put 1000 grams of male and female live crabs in a pot of cold water and boil for about fifteen minutes. Take them out and pick out the crab meat, crab roe and crab oil in pieces. Use the crab meat separately and put the crab oil in a bowl without crushing it.

2. Heat lard, green onion and ginger in a pan over high heat. Then add wet water chestnut starch to thicken. Pour a little lard and vinegar on top. Stir it over medium-high heat and serve. Sprinkle with a little shredded green garlic.

Kind tips

According to experienced chefs, crabs are usually steamed or fried, and the process is relatively simple. The handling of butter crabs must be done carefully, and the claws must not be broken, otherwise the wounds will "leak oil", and they will be no different from ordinary roe crabs. The correct method is to use the "ice water cold death method" and immerse the crab in fresh water at nearly 0°C. When the crab becomes numb and slightly stiff, you can "turn it over" and steam it on a plate.

The most important thing when making butter crab is to prevent the butter from spilling out, so you have to make it numb before making it. If you don’t like drunken crabs, you can freeze the butter crabs until they are numb. This way, it won't crawl around when steaming, its legs won't break off, and the butter won't spill out.