Dungeness Crab Scrambled Eggs (北美大肉蟹炒蛋, Bak1 Mei5 Daai6 Juk6 Haai5 Caau2 Daan6)

Scrambled eggs and seafood is a tasty combination, with the most common Chinese restaurant dish using shrimp. My versions of these dishes can be found here: Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs (蝦仁炒蛋, Haa¹ Jan⁴ Caau² Daan⁶) and Shrimp and Dungeness Crab Scrambled Eggs (蝦仁北美大肉蟹炒蛋, Haa¹ Jan⁴ Bak¹ Mei⁵ Daai⁶ Juk⁶ Haai⁵ Caau² Daan⁶). Since Dungeness crab, a local delicacy, is in season now, here’s a recipe just using cooked Dungeness crab meat. If you’re not fortunate enough to be able to obtain Dungeness crab meat, any frozen or canned crab can be substituted.

Personal preference determines the amount of eggs to use in this dish. The ratio of eggs to seafood depends (obviously) on the number of eggs used to the amount of seafood. If more eggs than seafood is desired, use more eggs, or use fewer eggs if more seafood than eggs is desired. You can, of course, reduce the amount of seafood used to increase the egg ratio. The dish pictured in the recipe used six eggs.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Cooked Dungeness crab meat (北美大肉蟹, bak1 mei5 daai6 juk6 haai5) or other crab meat
6-12	6-12	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6), scrambled
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Fish sauce (魚露, jyu4 lou6) or soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Salt (鹽, jim4), to taste
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
½ cup	125 ml.	Cilantro (芫茜, jyun4 sai1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
		Oyster Sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) to top the eggs (optional)
		Oil for cooking

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen cooked (Dungeness) crab meat, thaw in a covered container overnight in the refrigerator. If using fresh cooked Dungeness crab, remove the crab meat from the shells. Take the crab meat out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces, and place into a bowl. Wash and cut the equal amount of cilantro into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces, and place into the bowl with the green onions.
3. Add the ginger crushed in a garlic press, fish or soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, white pepper, salt, and sesame oil to a large bowl. The amount of salt to use is a personal preference, so feel free to adjust the amount. Scramble the eggs in the large bowl. Personal preference determines the amount of eggs to use in this dish. The ratio of eggs to seafood depends (obviously) on the number of eggs used to the amount of seafood. If more eggs than seafood is desired, use more eggs, or use fewer eggs if more seafood than eggs is desired. The dish pictured in the recipe used six.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over medium heat before adding oil. Add the crab, and quickly and gently stir fry to warm the crab before transferring to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over medium heat before adding oil. Add the bowl with the eggs and scramble. To get fluffy scrambled eggs, use this technique: As the eggs set, remove the pan or wok from the heat while continually scrambling the eggs with a spatula. Add the bowl with the crab and the bowl with the green onions and cilantro to the wok while the eggs are still wet and not yet set.
3. Put the wok back onto the heat until the eggs start setting again with the crab. Continue taking the pan or wok on and off the heat as the eggs set until fully scrambled. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice. Optionally top the eggs with oyster sauce.