Roasted Crab & Garlic Noodles
My dad’s sister immigrated to the Bay Area in the 70’s. Subsequently, the rest of his unmarried siblings followed suit through the years. Our parents stayed in the Philippines because they both had built successful businesses and we were all quite young. I do remember coming to the US to visit during our summer vacations to see our cousins and to also travel to different cities. A lot of our travels involved seeing the sights and of course, food.
An early food experience I remember during one of those vacations is going to Thanh Long in San Francisco. It was all about the Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle. If you haven’t heard of Thanh Long, you may have heard of Crustacean – both are the Anh Family’s legacy. This experience stuck with me because we would eventually immigrate to the US and still frequent Thanh Long.
The Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle is just such a magical combination. The sweetness of the Dungeness Crab paired back with the garlicky noodles is just a food memory that has stuck with my family, so much so that it has somehow made its way into our Noche Buena celebrations through the years. I can’t remember when it first appeared but I do have memories about trying to figure out how to make their noodles. There is something about it that sticks with you and later on, we figured out that it was Maggi (we think!). 😆
Let me just say that the recipe for Thanh Long’s Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle is a closely guarded secret by the Anh family. No one really knows how to make their version but them so go visit them to get that experience. However, to make at home, you can definitely find a place to start by looking online. You’ve got many sources. Try them and make it your own. I will post my version in Stories and Highlights so you can check that out too.
Now you’ve seen @janieP00’s Galbi and my Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle, neither dish is Filipino but are now part of our immigrant stories of Noche Buena. Do you have an adopted dish as well that is now a part of your Noche Buena? We’d love to hear from you.
♥️Tricia
INGREDIENTS
2 large Live Dungeness Crabs, 4 lbs total
1 stick Unsalted Butter
4-6 cloves Garlic, chopped fine
2 tsp Black Pepper, coarsely cracked
1 tsp Sugar
Italian Parsley, to garnish
Lemon (optional)
NOTE: This recipe is for 2 Dungeness Crabs and can feed 2-3 people. We use live crabs but know this can be hard for folks. You can also use steamed crabs but need to adjust the roasting time. If cooking Garlic Noodles, get your water on the stove to start to bring to a boil when you preheat your oven. Start cooking the dish 10 minutes before the crabs are due out of the oven so you can serve them at the same time.
METHOD
STEP 1
Bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil. Drop the live crabs into the water and cook for about two minutes until they start to turn a bright orange color. Remove and place in an ice bath.
STEP 2
Break down the crab by separating the shell from the body of the crab. Remove and discard the gills while saving the crab fat. Clean out the shell and place the crab fat in the shell. Quarter the remaining pieces and crack any large pieces for ease of peeling later.
STEP 3
Preheat the oven to 350º. If cooking Garlic Noodles, start to bring your pasta water to a boil. You can always turn the heat down if the water is ready before you need it.
On the stovetop, preheat a saucepan on medium heat. Melt the butter and when it becomes frothy and the edges are starting to brown, add the garlic, black pepper, sugar and bouillon cubes. Cook until garlic is fragrant and is just starting to brown then remove from heat and set aside.
STEP 4
Line crab pieces neatly in a roasting pan and generously drizzle with the garlic butter mixture. Toss the crab legs to ensure they are well coated and pour some of the garlic butter mixture on top of the crab fat as well.
STEP 5
Roast in oven at 350º for about 20-30 minutes. If you are working with store bought steamed crabs, you may want to take the crab out earlier to keep the crab meat tender. If you are cooking live or raw crab like we are, we did not fully cook the crab so they can finish cooking in the oven.
STEP 6
Remove crab from oven and transfer onto your serving dish. Garnish with parsley and lemon, if desired. We use a dipping sauce of Chinese black vinegar, sugar and ginger for the crab.
INGREDIENTS
16-20 oz Fresh Yellow Noodles or Fresh Spaghetti Noodles
3-4 tbsp Olive Oil
5 tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Maggi Seasoning Sauce
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated (optional)
Black Pepper
NOTE: Serves 3-4 as a side dish. If cooking with the Roasted Crab, get your water on the stove to start to bring to a boil when you preheat your oven. Start cooking the dish 10 minutes before the crabs are due out of the oven so you can serve them at the same time.
METHOD
STEP 1
Bring a stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil. When water is boiling, start the garlic sauce.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and the butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, add the Maggi Seasoning Sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well then turn off the heat.
STEP 2
In the stockpot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh noodles to desired doneness. This should not take too long since the noodles are fresh, around 2-3 minutes, consult the package directions as noodles can vary. I like noodles al dente with a bit of a bite.
STEP 3
When noodles are done, drain and add directly to garlic sauce. Add parmesan cheese and mix well.
STEP 4
Transfer into a serving bowl and season generously with black pepper and serve alongside the Roasted Crab.
