Modu Recipes

Ttukdak Hyung's Soft Shell Crab Tempura

Soft shell crab, with no hard shell, is fried whole until crispy, offering a savory flavor, paired with a spicy pollock roe wasabi mayo sauce.

🙋 Recommended for

  • ⭐ Those who love crab dishes but are tired of having to peel off the hard shells.
  • ⭐ Those who want to enjoy an izakaya vibe with crispy, unique seafood tempura and a cold draft beer.
  • ⭐ Those who want to recreate the popular signature fried dish from Southeast Asian crab specialty restaurants at home.

Ingredients needed 🛒2 servings

  • soft shell crab, as needed
  • tempura flour, a little
  • potato starch, a little
  • water, as needed
  • cooking oil, generously
  • seasoned pollock roe, a little
  • mayonnaise, a little
  • wasabi, a little

Recipe 🍳

  1. Wash the soft shell crabs thoroughly under running water, then pat dry completely with paper towels.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine tempura flour, potato starch, and cold water in appropriate amounts to make a very crispy tempura batter.
  3. Coat the dried crabs evenly with the prepared batter, making sure to cover the entire surface thinly and uniformly.
  4. Heat plenty of oil in a pan, then fry the battered crabs whole until golden brown and crispy, then remove.
  5. In a bowl, mix the shelled seasoned pollock roe, savory mayonnaise, and spicy wasabi to make a special pollock roe mayo sauce, and serve with the fried crabs.
  1. Clean the soft shell crabs and remove moisture.
  2. Coat the crabs evenly with a batter made of tempura flour, starch, and water, then fry in hot oil until crispy.
  3. Make a sauce by combining seasoned pollock roe, mayonnaise, and wasabi, and dip the crispy fried crabs in it.

Cooking tips 💡

  • Unlike regular crabs, soft shell crabs have no hard shell, so they should be cooked whole without trimming or cutting to lock the crab's innards and juices inside the tempura for the best flavor.
  • When making the batter, be sure to mix potato starch with regular tempura flour to reduce oil absorption and maximize light crispiness.
  • The best frying temperature is when a drop of batter rises immediately to the surface without hitting the bottom.

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soft shell crabtempura flourpotato starchseasoned pollock roemayonnaisewasabi