MUDCRAB IN XO SAUCE

 “Nothing's better than getting your hands dirty eating beautiful Aussie mud crab and licking your fingers in the summer, especially at Christmas." 

It is a dish that is both rich and satisfying, with a depth of flavours that will keep you coming back for more.

XO Sauce is not your average condiment, it's a complex blend of flavours derived from dried seafood, chillis, garlic and Brandy creating a unique and addictive taste.

Servings     Prep Time     Cook Time     

      4            15mins           30mins 

 Ingredients:

2 live Mud Crabs (about 1kg each)
60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
40 gm ginger, finely chopped, plus extra julienned to serve.
30 gm garlic (about 6 cloves), crushed.
4 spring onions, cut into batons, plus extra very thinly sliced to serve.
2 long red chillis, thinly sliced.
300 ml chicken stock
140 gm (½ cup) XO sauce
125 ml (½ cup) oyster sauce
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp potato starch, mixed to a slurry with 50ml water.
70 ml Shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil, or to taste.
Coriander sprigs and steamed rice, to serve

 Method:

Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to the boil, drop in crabs, cover and boil until cooked through (15-20 minutes; pull a claw free and if the meat is still translucent, cook it a little longer). Drain and cool briefly (10 minutes), then lift flap underneath the crab and pull off back shell. Discard gills and clean out yellow-brown tomalley. Cut crabs into quarters with a large sharp knife, then crack claws with the back of a knife.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat, add ginger, garlic, spring onion and chili and stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute). Stir in chicken stock, XO sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and potato-starch slurry. Add crab, turn to coat in sauce, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. Cook until crab is warmed through, and sauce is thickened (6-8 minutes), then add Shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Transfer to a platter, top with julienned ginger and spring onion, and coriander, and serve with steamed rice.

 Mudcrab in XO Sauce is a dish that is sure to impress - from its unique blend of flavours and its deeply rich taste, it's a dish that will make your taste buds dance with delight.