How to Make Delicious and Nutritious Crab Soup

Prepare the Crab

Submerge the crab in ice water to temporarily 'stun' it, making it easier to clean thoroughly since crabs often have a lot of mud and algae, especially in the crevices of their claws and under their shells.

Afterward, pour water (or beer) into a pot, bring it to a boil, place a steaming rack inside, and add the crab along with bruised lemongrass and sliced ginger for steaming.

This method can be used when preparing other crab dishes like crab stir-fried with vermicelli or beer-steamed crab.

Prepare the Pork Bones and Simmer the Broth

The pork bones are used to create a rich, sweet soup base. Rinse the bones thoroughly, then roast them briefly to reduce any gamey odor. Next, blanch the bones in boiling water with a pinch of coarse salt for about 10 minutes.

Remove the bones, rinse them again, then place them in a pot and add enough water to cover (about 2.5 liters). Bring the broth to a boil. To add aroma, drop in 2-3 roasted, peeled shallots to simmer along with the bones.

Once the broth reaches a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 40-60 minutes. If you have time, simmering for a longer period will yield a sweeter broth.

Prepare the Other Ingredients

Rinse the American sweet corn and let it drain. If you don't have pre-packaged sweet corn, you can use fresh corn, cutting the kernels off the cob. However, if using fresh corn, you'll need to cook it with the broth, rather than stir-frying it as with the packaged kernels.

Soak fresh shiitake mushrooms in rice water or saltwater for 15 minutes, then rinse and finely chop them.

Soak and rinse enoki mushrooms in saltwater, then chop them finely like the shiitake mushrooms.

Peel the carrot, julienne it, and then dice into small cubes.

Pick, rinse, and coarsely chop the cilantro.

Peel and finely chop the shallots.

Stir-fry the Soup Filling

You could add all the prepared ingredients directly into the simmering broth from the previous step, but based on Cookbeo's experience, stir-frying them first enhances the aroma and helps the ingredients bind together better.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, sauté the shallots until fragrant, then add the corn, carrots, and mushrooms, stirring constantly. Add the crab meat, season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of MSG, and stir-fry for about 20 seconds before turning off the heat.

Cook the Crab Soup

After simmering the broth for about an hour, remove the bones and shallots, and skim off any scum to ensure a clear soup base. Then add the stir-fried filling, seasoning the soup with fish sauce, MSG, and seasoning powder.

For a serving of about 5 people, use approximately 2 liters of soup, equivalent to 5 large bowls. With this quantity, the seasonings would include 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of MSG, and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. (Adjust seasoning to taste).

Mix arrowroot starch with cold water, then gradually pour it into the soup pot. When adding the starch, do not pour it all in at once; adjust the amount to achieve the desired thickness. If you don't have arrowroot starch, you can use tapioca or corn starch instead.

After adding the starch, stir the soup continuously and continue to cook for another minute.

Next, crack the egg into a bowl, whisk it until frothy, then pour it through a sieve into the soup, stirring quickly with chopsticks to create fine, delicate egg ribbons without clumping.