Yangnyum Gyejang

Yangnyum Gyejang 양념게장 (Spicy Marinated Crabs)

The hanwoo(premium Korean beef) restaurant I go to near my home in Korea would have yangnyum gyejang as a banchan (side dish). I would honestly go not for the beef, but for these spicy marinated crabs. It’s smothered in a sweet spicy sauce that would get on both sides of my mouth making me look like the joker by the time the meal was over but I would crush through it.

In Korean, yangnyum gyejang is often called a “bap doduk”, bap meaning rice and doduk meaning thief. It’s called a so-called “bap thief” because you’ll finish your rice so quick with this dish that it would feel like someone stole it away from you. I can easily finish two bowls of freshly steamed white rice with this dish, and it’s definitely something you should try in your life time. 

Ingredients

• 2 blue shell crabs (fresh or flash frozen)
• 1 cup soju / sake

Sauce

• 5 tbsp gochugaru 
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Prepare the crabs.

If flash-frozen… Clean and wash the crabs thoroughly using a clean toothbrush. Scrub away at any crevices such as the mouth and the belly of the crabs. Cut off any inedible pieces using scissors. Open up the crab by removing the shell. Remove the gills from the crabs. 

If alive… freeze the crabs for 2 hours to put them to sleep. Same procedure as the flash-frozen crabs. 

Cut the crab into 4 pieces. Place in a large bowl. 

Pour 1 cup soju / sake. This helps rid of any fishiness and gunk that may still be present on the crabs. Let it sit for 20 minutes. 

Prepare the sauce. 

Drain the excess liquid from the crabs. In a clean bowl, add the crabs and the sauce. Mix well. 

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 3 hours. 

Garnish with sesame seeds and an extra drizzle of sesame oil.

Enjoy with a bowl of hot warm rice! 

Yangnyum Gyejang (Spicy Marinated Crabs)

4 from 70 votes

Recipe by Doobydobap Course: AppetizersCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy

2

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

3

hours 

In Korean, yangnyum gyejang is often called a “bap doduk”, bap meaning rice and doduk meaning thief, aka rice thief. It’s called a rice thief because you’ll steal bowls and bowls of rice for this one.

Ingredients

• 2 blue shell crabs (fresh or flash frozen)

• 1 cup soju / sake

• Sauce

• 5 tbsp gochugaru

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp light brown sugar

• 2 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

instructions

• Prepare the crabs.
• If flash-frozen… Clean and wash the crabs thoroughly using a clean toothbrush. Scrub away at any crevices such as the mouth and the belly of the crabs. Cut off any inedible pieces using scissors. Open up the crab by removing the shell. Remove the gills from the crabs.
• If alive… freeze the crabs for 2 hours to put them to sleep. Same procedure as the flash-frozen crabs.
• Cut the crab into 4 pieces. Place in a large bowl.
• Pour 1 cup soju / sake. This helps rid of any fishiness and gunk that may still be present on the crabs. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce.
• Drain the excess liquid from the crabs. In a clean bowl, add the crabs and the sauce. Mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 3 hours.
• Garnish with sesame seeds and an extra drizzle of sesame oil.
• Enjoy with a bowl of hot warm rice!

Recipe Video

Notes

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