Back in the 1980's, there were Red Lobster and Long John Silvers. Fish was deep fried, shrimp was breaded for dipping in ketchup-y cocktail sauce and crab was drowned in drawn butter. I know that seafood was eaten in more sophisticated ways all over the world back then too, but I was a kid, so seafood was more like a Red Lobster jingle to me. Thank goodness that the fantastic world of all things delicious from the sea is so much bigger for me now.Heading into December is the opening of local Dungeness Crab season in the San Francisco Bay Area. The seasonal craving was coming on, so I decided to make a light udon with mushroom broth topped with fresh Dungeness Crab.
Crab Udon
1 medium, fully cooked Dungeness Crab
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon chili flakes or powder
2 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
8 cups water
handful of fresh spinach
1 pound fresh udon noodles
With a crab cracker or just your hands, crack all the joints of the crab legs and claws to pull out the meat with a fork. Set aside in a bowl. In a soup pot, drizzle a tiny bit of oil, turn the heat to medium, throw in the ginger, garlic and chili. Stir around, then throw in the mushrooms. After two or three minutes, add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Pour in 8 cups of water. Simmer the broth for 20 minutes, then add the udon noodles. After a few minutes, the noodles will be done. Throw in a handful of spinach and remove from heat. Serve in steaming in bowls topped with the crab meat.
