Name: Steamed Blue Crabs with Black Ginger Dipping Sauce
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh cilantro stems, coarsely chopped; 36 live blue crabs (1/4 to 1/3 lb each; 3 dozen), well rinsed; 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger; 1/2 cup fermented fine-quality soy sauce; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup water; 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar* (preferably Chinkiang) or cider vinegar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; a wide 6- to 8-qt heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid

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Steamed Blue Crabs with Black Ginger Dipping SauceMikkel Vang

Blue crabs take a little more work to eat than larger crabs like Dungeness, but their sweet flavor is worth the extra effort. Blue crabs are commercially harvested from New York to Florida — including, most famously, Chesapeake Bay — and the Gulf Coast states. The best are available from late summer to early fall. If you're landlocked or on the West Coast, you can order live blue crabs from The Crab Place (877-328-2722; crabplace.com).

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