Gegukji (Crab-Brine Kimchi Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot or 3-quart ttukbaegi
• •Kitchen shears for cutting crab
• •Medium mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the crab

   Scrub the blue crabs under cold running water. Lift off the top shell, remove the gills and mouth parts, and cut each body in half. Keep the shells if they are clean, because the shell gives the broth its clean crab flavor. If the crab smells strongly fishy instead of sweet and briny, cook something else today.

2. 2

   Make the broth

   If you are starting with water, put 5 cups water, the kelp, and the cleaned anchovies in a pot. Bring it just to a simmer, then pull the kelp out before it turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more and remove them. You want a light base, because the crab brine will do the heavy seasoning.

3. 3

   Season the greens

   Put the kimchi, blanched radish greens or cabbage leaves, crab brine, kimchi juice, gochugaru, doenjang, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Mix by hand until the leaves are coated, then let them stand 10 minutes. This short rest matters: the brine seasons the thick greens before the pot dilutes it.

4. 4

   Start the stew

   Set the seasoned kimchi mixture, radish, and onion in a wide pot. Pour in the broth. Bring it to a lively simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 22 to 25 minutes, until the cabbage turns soft and the radish is almost tender. Do not add the crab yet. Cabbage needs time; crab does not.

5. 5

   Add the crab

   Nestle the crab pieces into the pot, shell side down where you can. Spoon broth over them and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, just until the shells turn bright and the meat is cooked through. Taste the broth after 8 minutes. Add the fish sauce or soup soy sauce only if it tastes flat, 1 teaspoon at a time. Crab brine is already salty, and a careless hand ruins this stew fast.

   If your crab brine is very salty, begin with 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup. You can add more in the last 5 minutes, but you cannot pull salt back out.
6. 6

   Finish the pot

   Scatter the green chili and scallions over the stew and simmer 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit 3 minutes before serving, so the broth settles and the crab is not boiling hard at the table. Finish with sesame seeds only if you like them; they are a small accent, not a blanket.

7. 7

   Serve with rice

   Serve straight from the pot with hot rice and a clean spoon for the broth. The cabbage should be soft enough to fold over the rice, the crab sweet, and the broth salty, sour, and oceanic without tasting muddy.

Chef Tips

• •Blue crab is best when it is heavy for its size and smells clean, not sharp. On the west coast this dish follows the crab season. Cook the month you're standing in: if the crab at your market is poor, use good crab legs another day rather than forcing a bad pot.
• •The brine should come from ganjang-gejang (soy-marinated crab) or a clean salted crab preparation. If you have none, simmer the cleaned crab shells in the broth for 10 minutes before adding the kimchi, then season with 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce. It will not be the same dish in the old way, but it will respect the direction of it.
• •Old kimchi is right here. Fresh kimchi tastes raw and separate in the broth. If your kimchi is extremely sour, use 350g kimchi and 100g blanched napa cabbage to soften the edge without rinsing away the character.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Keep it light and unsalted, because the crab brine will season the stew later.
• •The kimchi and greens can be mixed with the brine and seasonings up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Add the crab only while cooking, never during the advance rest.
• •Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated, but reheat gently. Crab meat toughens if it is boiled again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)