Ganjang Gejang Recipe

Ganjang Gejang is Korea's famous rice thief, a dish so good it steals bowl after bowl of rice. Fresh crab is steeped in a soy brine scented with ginger, garlic and chilli until its flesh turns sweet, silky and deeply savoury. It is a delicacy worth the wait.

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

0 mins

Total time

30 mins

Servings

4 servings

Calories

340

Ingredients

• 4 fresh blue crabs, cleaned
• 500 ml soy sauce
• 500 ml water
• 100 ml rice wine (mirin)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 knob ginger, sliced
• 2 dried chillies
• 1 apple, quartered
• 2 spring onions
• Steamed rice and gim (seaweed), to serve

Instructions

1. Clean the crabs thoroughly under cold running water and drain well.
2. Bring the soy sauce, water, rice wine, sugar, onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and apple to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Cool the brine completely; it must be cold before it touches the crab.
4. Pack the crabs into a clean container and pour over the cold brine to cover.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 days, turning the crabs once a day, and up to 5 days for deeper flavour.
6. To serve, crack the shells and arrange the crab on a platter.
7. Serve with steamed rice, gim and a small bowl of the brine as a dipping sauce.

Pro tips

• Use only impeccably fresh crab for this raw preparation; freshness is non-negotiable.
• The brine must be fully cold, or the crab will cook and lose its silky texture.
• Ganjang gejang keeps about a week refrigerated in its brine.
• Sucking the meat from the shell with rice is the traditional, joyful way to eat it.

Frequently asked questions