Korean Spicy Blue Crab Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 50 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 11
About this dish
Ggotge-tang is a spicy Korean crab soup built around whole blue crabs that infuse the broth with a concentrated, briny seafood depth.
Read more
The shells release their marine richness as they crack apart during simmering, forming the structural foundation of the pot. Doenjang dissolved into the broth adds fermented complexity, while gochugaru delivers a persistent heat that compounds with each spoonful. Radish chunks sweeten and clarify the liquid, and zucchini with green onion fill the bowl with color and contrasting texture. Before cooking, the crabs should be scrubbed clean under cold water and cleaned of their sand pouches and gills, which eliminates any off-flavors. Scoring the claws lightly with the back of a knife before the pot goes on the heat makes extracting the claw meat easier at the table. Female crabs in season carry bright orange roe inside the top shell that dissolves into the broth and intensifies its richness. The real reward at the end of the meal is mixing leftover rice directly into the crab's top shell with the residual roe and braising juices, a practice Korean diners regard as the true finish of the meal. Blue crab season peaks in spring and autumn.
Ingredients
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Scrub 900 g blue crabs under cold water with a brush, then lift off the top shells and remove the sand pouches and gills.
Cut the bodies in half and lightly crack the claws with the back of a knife for easier eating.
- 2Control
Put 1400 ml water and 250 g Korean radish in a pot and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
Continue until the radish edges look semi-translucent and the broth starts tasting lightly sweet.
- 3Control
Dissolve 1 tbsp doenjang through a strainer so it disperses without lumps, then add 2 tbsp Korean chili flakes and 1.5 tbsp minced garlic. Simmer over medium heat for 3 minutes until the broth turns red and smells savory.
- 4Control
Add the cleaned crabs right away and keep the pot at a steady medium simmer for about 10 minutes.
When the shells turn bright red, skim off the rising foam carefully to keep the broth clean and reduce fishy notes.
- 5Control
Add 120 g onion, 120 g zucchini, and 2 hot green chilies, then simmer for 6 more minutes.
Stop before the zucchini collapses. It should look slightly translucent but still hold its shape.
- 6Finish
Season with 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce and add 60 g of scallion for only 2 more minutes.
Press the crab and vegetables down once so they remain evenly immersed, then serve hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Ggotge-tang simmers whole blue crabs to infuse a spicy broth with concentrated shellfish richness.
- Finish cue
- It should look slightly translucent but still hold its shape.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
50min, 11 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Korean Spring Blue Crab Stew
blue crab, Korean radish
Korean Doenjang Kkotge Tang
blue crab, Korean radish
Korean Spicy Blue Crab Seafood Stew
blue crab, Korean radish