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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Sea crab cake is a familiar dish for coastal residents and those who love crab dishes with a delicious and nutritious taste, while the preparation is extremely simple. Let’s join Điện Máy Xanh into the kitchen to make this steamed dish!
Ingredients for Sea Crab Cake Serves 5 people
Crab 3 pieces Pork skin 100 gr Lean pork 100 gr Carrot 100 g Cassava 100 gr Wood ear mushrooms 50 gr Dry vermicelli 50 gr Fried garlic 50 gr Fried onion 50 gr Cilantro 20 gr Onion 1/2 bulb Duck eggs 7 pieces Common spices a little (salt/pepper/sugar/seasoning)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh sea crabs
- Check the claws: The silky skin between the elbow joints on the crab claws should be pink-red or dark pink; these are crabs that have a lot of meat.
- Crab belly: Good crabs will have a firm and slightly hard belly when squeezed, indicating they are meaty. Conversely, if the belly is soft and not firm, they will have less meat.
- Crab shell: Touch the crab shell; if it feels soft, these crabs are likely to have poor quality meat and roe.
- Additionally, squeeze the thigh part of the swimming paddle; if the crab still moves, it means they are fresh and have good meat. If they “go limp” and do not move, it means they are about to die.
How to choose fresh duck eggs
- Observe the eggshell: The outside usually has a white shell, uniform color, with no cracks and no black spots.
- Use your sense of touch when feeling the egg: You can touch the surface of the eggshell; if the surface is rough and slightly gritty, it is a fresh egg, while a smooth surface indicates the egg has been stored for a while.
- Light test: Hold the egg up to a light bulb, or roll it up in a piece of newspaper and shine it in the sunlight; you will see a small air chamber, the yolk is round, appears to be still and balanced in the center of the egg, with an orange or light pink color, while the egg white is clear.
- Shake the egg gently: You can hold the egg and shake it lightly near your ear to listen. If you hear a sound, the egg has been stored for a long time.
How to choose good pork
- The meat should be dry, not slimy, with a normal smell and color, firm texture, and high elasticity; when you press your finger into the meat, it should create a dent but not leave a mark when you lift your finger.
- The meat fibers should be even, firm, and not mushy. If the meat has been treated with growth stimulants, it often retains a lot of water and has poor firmness.
How to choose good pig skin
- Fresh, good pig skin is pink in color, without any bruises or tiny black spots on the surface.
- Choose skin that is thick, smooth, and large. When pressed, it should feel elastic and not have a strong, unpleasant odor.
- Additionally, avoid buying overly white pig skin as it may have been soaked in chemicals for longer preservation.
How to choose fresh carrots
- You should choose carrots that are of moderate size, straight and elongated towards the tail, with a smooth skin, firm to the touch, and slightly hard.
- Select carrots that are bright, deep orange in color, with fresh green leaves firmly attached to the body of the carrot.
- Avoid carrots with wilted or bruised tops, damaged bodies, slimy spots, or any signs of bruising; if pressed, they should feel soft.
- Do not choose overly large carrots. The leaves, stems at the base, and the shoulders of the carrot should be thick, as these are older carrots that will have more fibers and less nutrients.
How to choose delicious dried wood ear mushrooms
- Choose wood ear mushrooms with large, thick ears and a base with few small mushrooms.
- The color of the mushrooms should be dark amber, slightly shiny (for the top side of the mushroom) and milk coffee color (for the underside of the mushroom).
- Avoid choosing black wood ear mushrooms that look too dark, as this type may become mushy when soaked in water and is less crunchy.
How to choose fresh cassava roots
- Shape: Choose cassava roots that are evenly shaped, with smooth, thin skin and small stems, as this indicates the flesh is sweet, fragrant, and juicy. Avoid selecting those with rough, scaly skin, as these roots are often fibrous, dry, and less sweet.
- Color: Good cassava roots will have green leaf stems and the skin will be ivory in color.
Tools needed
How to Prepare Sea Crab Cake
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Prepare and Boil Sea Crab
Before boiling, you need to kill the crab so that the claws and legs do not fall off during the boiling process. Use a sharp knife to stab the triangular part of the crab’s belly and keep it for about 1 minute until the crab is completely dead.
You can also place the crab in a clean box or bag and put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to numb the crab. This method helps you avoid being pinched by the crab, and prevents the crab from losing its legs after boiling.
Clean the crab by using a small brush to scrub the shell, belly, and claws thoroughly to remove dirt, then rinse with clean water.
Place the crab in a pot, add enough water to cover it, cover the pot, then place it on the stove and boil for about 10-12 minutes until the crab shell turns a bright red color, indicating that it is cooked. Note that do not boil lightly to avoid the crab being undercooked, which can cause poisoning when eaten.
Once the boiled crab cools down, separate the crab meat from the shell (you can use a knife to make it easier). Shred the crab meat into small strands.
Tip to Prepare Crab Without a Fishy Smell: Use a sharp knife to stab the triangular area on the crab’s belly called the crab heart, hold the crab for a few minutes until it dies. This way, the blood fluid will flow out when eating without a foul and bitter taste.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Carrots and cassava (jicama) are peeled, washed, and diced. The wood ear mushrooms should be soaked in water, washed, the dry part removed, and then cut into small strips.
The onion is peeled, washed, and also diced into small cubes. The dry noodles should be soaked in water until soft and cut into small strips.
The duck eggs are cracked into a bowl, and 3 egg yolks are separated into a dish to color the surface of the cake.
The lean meat and pork skin should be washed to remove blood, and any remaining hair on the skin should be removed. After that, they should be boiled until cooked and diced.
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Mix the cake
You prepare a bowl, add all the crab, meat, pork skin, wood ear mushrooms, cassava, carrots, onion, and noodles that have been prepared into the bowl, then add 1 tablespoon of fried onion, 2 tablespoons of fried garlic, 2 tablespoons of seasoning, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of pepper.
Mix everything well, you can taste to adjust the seasoning to your liking. The eggs, both the egg whites and yolks, should be beaten together with chopsticks or a whisk. Then, pour into the bowl and mix the mixture evenly.
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Steam the cake
You prepare a steamer pot and an aluminum mold, lining the bottom of the mold with banana leaves or brushing it with oil so that the cake does not stick when removed from the mold.
You place the steamer on the stove, wait for the water to boil, then pour the mixture evenly into the mold. Steam on medium heat for 20 minutes; you can use a toothpick to poke deep into the cake. If there is no water coming out, it is done.
Then you take the egg yolks, beat them, add the chopped cilantro, and spread it evenly on top of the cake to create a beautiful yellow color. Cover and steam for another 5 minutes until the egg is cooked.
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Final product
When the cake cools, you can take it out of the mold, cut it into pieces, and enjoy. The crab cake is delicious, with the sweet and distinctive flavor of crab enhancing the taste. This dish goes well with white rice!
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It’s not too difficult to make sea crab cake that is delicious, attractive, and extremely appetizing to treat the whole family, right? Hopefully, with the recipe shared by TasteVN, you will successfully make the dish and have delicious meals!
