Jonah Crabs with Ginger Butter and Chili-Garlic Vinegar

Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

This dish is meant to be fun and messy as you pick apart pieces of buttery, gingery crab and dip them into a tart vinegar sauce. For the full experience, I recommend purchasing live Jonah crabs from your local seafood market. If you’re having trouble sourcing the crab, New Deal Fish Market in Cambridge will special order them for you. Alternatively, you can purchase frozen, cooked claws online or at certain grocery stores. Live crabs need to be cleaned, and the easiest way to do so is to set them in boiling water for 60 seconds to make them easier to handle. Jonah crabs have tough, thick shells so make sure to use a strong pair of tongs when transferring them into the boiling water. After boiling and cleaning the crabs, you will boil them again to fully cook them before serving. Sometimes I will add flavorings to the water; I recommend whole peppercorns, bay leaves and ginger peels.

Serves 4

¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 medium Fresno chillies, ribs and seeds removed, and minced
¼ cup neutral oil
½ teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 Indian bay leaf (Tej Patta) or 1 small cinnamon stick
sea salt and black pepper
4 whole Jonah crabs (about 3 pounds), cooked and cleaned (see instructions below)
¼ cup unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

If using live Jonah crabs, place live crabs in boiling water for 60 seconds, then transfer them to an ice bath. Discard the water. Once cool enough to handle, clean the crabs by removing the carapace, apron and face/mandibles. Tear off the grayish-colored gills. Next, place the crab under running water to rinse off any of the inside guts. For detailed step-by-step photos of crab cleaning, see below.

To make the chili-garlic vinegar, add vinegar, red bell pepper and half of the Fresno chili to a blender until smooth. Mixture will be thin. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add fennel seeds , if using, until sizzling. Stir in chili-vinegar mixture, remaining Fresno chili, garlic, honey and bay leaf (or cinnamon stick), and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then discard bay leaf (or cinnamon stick). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge for 3–4 days.

Just before serving, set a large pot of salted water to boil and mix in any desired flavorings, like peppercorns, bay leaves or ginger peels. Add the crabs and boil for 10–15 minutes, or until the shell is deep orange and the meat is cooked through. Larger crabs (~3 pounds) will take around 20 minutes. Strain and transfer to a serving plate.

Meanwhile, prepare the ginger butter: In a small pot, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add grated ginger and let cook for 1–2 minutes, until softened and aromatic. Pour ginger butter on top of warmed crabs and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately; crack open crabs with a seafood cracker and dip pieces into chili-garlic vinegar.