Crab & shrimp
I love Flushing Market in Queens. I know its a super far train ride, and the cab ride back (I can’t hold groceries through a subway with HEELS) is pretty expensive, but I sporadically make the trip to find ingredients I can’t find here. Its also good for when you have a friend who is just as much of a raging foodie you are, that you don’t have to eat dungeoness crab + drunken shrimp alone. Oh, I just refuse to go to Chinatown and pay 100+ to eat these delicacies when I can prepare them for cheaper.
I also picked up some of my favorite packaged foods and basically caught some major stares at the market from men who thought I was some creepy spy with a big camera. I ran out of there fast as I could before the manager pulled me aside for questions.
Part 1: The Market
The seafood market section is awesome. They have several different varieties of fresh, live crab, live shrimp and all sorts of snails and large clams.
My favorite part of lobster or crabs are the eggs. In this picture below, you can see that this crab has been dismembered to show the orange goop which are the eggs. It is so delicious and when I go to restaurants I always ask for female lobsters because they usually have the caviar. The waiters always think I’m crazy and look at me as if I’m discriminating against male lobsters…When I order crab from chinese places I like to go with the waiter to the seafood tank and pick out the female crabs for myself. Its easy to tell between male/female crabs. Whether you will land a crab with eggs is iffy though, sometimes the dungeness crab is eggless. I sort of feel like I didn’t eat a crab if there are no eggs inside…
My favorite type of crab..Dungeness.
This lobster was huge + had the largest claws I ever saw. Bigger than most Fashion editor’s!
The frozen foods aisle is also fun for me. I love to look at compartmentalized, frozen dimsum items such as this one below. I love fried sesame rice balls.
Traditional dim sum here (Shrimp Rice Roll), the kind that non-chinese people like to order instead of getting the chicken feet.
Ahh yes, dumplings. In this image you will notice the “soup dumplings” which are my favorite kind.
This is from the refridgerator section of the market, preserved eggs. Sounds weird but its totally delicious. Usually they use it in sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf.
Duriannnnn
Part 2: Purchased
Hmm now to move onto some things I picked up.. I started out with the thai hot sauces, you know Sriracha. A crazy good blend between hot sauce and ketchup, Sriracha with its infamous green cap, was my favorite. But then I graduated to this. Its just hot pepper flakes in oil, with garlic, shallots, and dried prawns. I know it sounds nasty but its SO GOOD and SPICY. I keep eating it even though it gives me stomach aches because its sort of like crack.
Some preserved eggs. Yea it looks gross but its really delicious too..
Imitation of nature vs. Nature. Which one do you prefer? In this case I prefer the imitated version. Its all the concentrated goodness of Durian without having to deal with opening/handling a real durian and then dealing with leftover smells in your fridge. This stuff smells like ass but tastes like an eggy creme brulee except its a fruit…WEIRD.
No, really, its like an egg custard/creme brulee..except its A FRUIT…WTF? People hate the smell but honestly I don’t really think its that OFFENSIVE. I’ve smelled worse.
Part 3: Cooked
Now onto the cooking component; Dungeness crab + Drunken shrimp…
Chinese Dungeness crab is done in several ways; Fried with garlic + salt+ hot peppers, or Ginger and Scallion style, or they even steam it with sticky rice in a lotus leaf. The last method is my favorite. I love the sticky rice component and the tender crab meat, and eating those two together is definitely hands down, my favorite meal. Drunken shrimp is one of those snoody high end meals you can get in nice restaurants in HK. They put on this whole performance for you, pouring alcohol on LIVE SHRIMP and them flaming the shit out of them. They taste amazing because the alcohol smell kills of the fishy stench and the shrimp is so sweet. After you peel the shrimp, naturally you’d suck the head out and then dip the shrimp in a soy/cilantro/hot pepper mixture. Again, one of my favorite dishes due to its inherent simplicity.
Dude, my live dungeness crab totally tried to escape the water bath I made for him. When I watched its life go in my own hands I was a little sad. I had to crack it open and dismember the parts before cooking it so that the dish is USER FRIENDLY.
The flavorings for the rice and crab…Peanut Oil, Scallion, Toasted garlic bits with salt, Cilantro, and sticky rice drenched in water. We can’t be friends if you hate Cilantro..JUST KIDDING. No really, I eat cilantro straight from the fridge. I just love it so much.
Lotus leaf.
I drenched the lotus leaf in water so that it became flexible and put the sticky rice in first. The sticky rice is flavored with toasted garlic, cilantro, oil, and scallion. I don’t think this is the traditional way they do it but this is how I like to flavor it.
Dismembered parts and the shell. The steaming crab juice drips onto the rice which is REALLY the beauty of this dish because of the crab flavor + rice. The flavor that gets lost through cooking just lands in the rice so eating these two together is the perfect combination for me. I flavored the crab with more of the toasted garlic bits + salt.
Then you can close the dish up. Its sort of like the pumped up version of STICKY RICE IN LOTUS LEAF dish I love so much. Except this ones got a giant crab inside….
Cooked.
Bok choy. This is the reason why Chinese people are so healthy. They eat a ton of greens sauteed with garlic.
Now onto Drunken shrimp prep. Live shrimp goes into water to stay live.
Shrimp get some vodka libation…I had to cover it because they start jumping everywhere after you pour alcohol on them.
One tried to jump out.
I steamed the shrimp instead of lighting them on fire…I didn’t want to deal with any accidents…….
Okay guys. I’m finally done. Whew. Really taking food photos is hard and time consuming so that is why I do them less now. I will try and keep up with your demands though.
Category: Food | Tags: feature 61 comments »
May 17th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Ah…
soup dumplings are only the best things ever!
Those pictures make me homesick…=]
May 17th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
What an epic re-telling! I love going to chinese markets in my area, and picking up all the goodies we used to eat all them time when my family briefly lived in Hong Kong. Mostly all those delicious snack foods!
May 17th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
UM, this post made me irrationally happy. The photos are gorgeous and now I want some shrimp.
xo
d
May 17th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
wow.
a). you are so brave to be able to cook live crab + shrimp!!! serious admiration.
b). taro ice bar!?!?!?!? i didn’t even know one could purchase something like that.
c). i’ve always been a bit afraid of durian but since you explain that it tastes like egg custard creme brulee… i’m there. haha.
May 17th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Daphne –
Cool, love to hear it. Making people happy is the best ever.
Gennie–
Its easy once you crack open the damn crab and
dismember the parts. Nothing to it but steaming them…
Luce–
You are super lucky to have lived in HK. I would love to have had such an experience.
Anon–
I’m assuming you’re from China?
May 17th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
sweet baby jesus are those the crab’s EYES looking at me with a longing gaze?? WOAH
girl you are RUTHLESS!! I love it!!
May 17th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
exceptional post Ji! my thoughts exactly about the crabs- the eggs make all the work worthwhile. the amount you find is really dependent on time of year when you purchase. preserved duck eggs are the best although most americans seem to find them horribly unappetizing. their loss, i suppose
haha your dim sum comment- jellyfish is so great too.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
this was absolutely fascinating. the pics of your crab dish are especially interesting b/c it makes me think of the ways different cultures prepare the same foods. like a lot of african-american families- we boil the crabs in a big ass pot with a ton of old bay, spread out newspaper on the table, put all the crabs on top (no plates, a few nutcrackers) and dive in with our hands sucking out all the meat. amazing.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I miss eating those kind of food.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I have to admit that I have never had crab. But after seeing this post I may have to try it sometime.
And those lobster claws are seriously the largest I have ever seen (including what I’ve seen on tv lol). Crazy!
May 17th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Your efforts are most appreciated!
May 17th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Geez,you made me so hungry….lol.-)
Hope you had a great weekend,looking forward on your next post,have a great day ahead.=)
A Writers Den
The Brown Mestizo
May 17th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
i LOVE this post! all the asian goodness in what we call food – i LOVE durian and the way you shot it made me drool. salted egg crab is how i love my crab prepared, have you tried it?
awesome post , once again! xxx kate
May 17th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Where did you learn to cook- family? You food is always so originial. Also- I love going to asian markets but am strangely intimidated by the amass of foods that I have no idea what to do with…
you do such a gorgeous job on your food posts!
May 17th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
CultPrairie
Salted egg crab sounds so good and I want to try it. Never had it before.Must research some restaurants..
MorganandTaylor
Oh my dad can’t cook anything except for Ramen and my mom knows alot about food in general but isn’t that good at cooking. I learned from watching foodtv throughout most of my childhood and researching dishes on my own time. I’ve been into cooking for as long as I can remember.
Nia–
I love that kind, the kind where you put it one big pot with corn and just boil/steam the whole thing. SO GOOD!
Jules–
Oh thats a good tip about the seasons for the crab and when it has the most eggs. I need to look into this for when I want to buy crab because I just love the caviar…I sort of understand why people would find it unappetizing. You sort of have to build yourself up to foods like that you wouldn’t like it normally. I’m not chinese, I’m korean, but I’m sort of used to eating foods like this because I’ve grown up eating weird shit. I will never get used to 1000 year old tofu though. Its definitely something you have to grow up eating to appreciate..
May 17th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
1. YAY!!!! food entry!!!! i was starting to miss…
2. i love how the crabs in the 3rd photo look like they’re staring back
3. duriannnnn
4. duuuuuude i’m with you on “no cilantro, no friendship”
5. you put my crab entry to shame!
6. YAY! food entry!!!
May 17th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
looks deliciousssss…i will have to remember these dishes..
May 18th, 2009 at 12:20 am
excellent post!!! i must when i go back to NY. definitely want to try the cryspy prawn chily sauce..
ah the crabs. funny story…a few years ago i wanted to make crab for dinner and being the kitchen bimbo that i was (mind you it was 5 years ago..)…i put it in water that was not boiled yet…and turned on the fire. 10 mins later the crab was screaming! YELPING YELLING you name it…it was horrible and so stupid of me. since then, i have no made crab. you my dear, seem to do it very very well though
keep the awesome posts coming please!
May 18th, 2009 at 4:42 am
I completely concur about Durian…it really doesn’t smell as bad as say I dunno….animal manure or worse….sulphuric type smells which I can’t stand…
Love what you did with the crab…. I love the eggs too….that’s where all the flavour is….
May 18th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Asian food! Woot, and all I can relate with!
I come from a land of Durians (Malaysia), love ‘em but for the processed version, there’s a gelato place in Lygon St. in Melbourne which has the BEST durian gelato EVER. There’s a trick for opening up the durian fruit, my dad and uncles use a Chinese cleaver and angle it up 45 degrees and stab the fruit with the edge closest to the handle. This works best if you do it along the spine/axis of the fruit (stalk to bottom).
Try cooking the salted preserved egg (the yellow yoke and white whites) and the Century egg (black jelly and orange yoke) with pork/chicken and ginger to make rice congee. You can probably google a fail-safe recipe.
Totally delish.
The chilli in oil looks like a Malaysian product
We eat it with fried rice or fried noodles. You can also use it to jazz-up stir-fried veggies and such.
You may probably already know all those things I just said, you have a great appreciation for food.
The cooked crabs and prawns look great!
Thanks for this post! Made me miss home so much but at least the images gave my imagination a reminder of the flavours.
(I think this is the longest comment I’ve ever made on any blog, but then again I’ve never been this much of a fan.)
May 18th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Ok I am intrigued by these eggs. Just went out for dinner with a friend and we had a walk around after wards.. the only stores that were open were a discount chemist and an Asian food store… PRETTY SURE they had those eggs there, but maybe I was mistaken because they were selling them in normal egg cartons but they were dark? Perhaps they were some other kind of eggs? Anyway, really wish I got the food gene but I’m such a lazy cook.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Joshua–
OMG yes durian trees. I had no idea about the cleaver that sounds really scary !! I’m sure that you’re dad and uncles are experts.
I will try to cook the egg- I usually just eat it as is….is that wrong? I think it tastes good but I bet it tastes better with congee.
Yes, I call this chili in oil CRACK because it is ADDICTING!!
Susie–
Seems sort of selfish to eat all the eggs as these are the things that produce more crab but I really can’t help myself!
Poison–
Yea I had to laugh when I read your comment. You’ve definitely got to kill the crab before it goes in otherwise yea it freaks out….Sort of sad to watch its life go as I said.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:51 am
manfox
The eggs- Yes they taste very strange. But good. Not smelly or weird at all just sort of salty and creamy on the inside and then jelly like on the outside…..
I hear australia is a country of mad foodies though, with exotic seafood creatures spanning pretty wide.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:13 am
After you stab it with the edge a few time, you can dig deeper into the durian skin with regular chopping and by wedging the cleaver in and wriggling it. :/
Actually, it does sound like a lot of work. But man, it’s the best thing ever. It’s like custard + a special “je ne sais quoi”…similar to anyone’s first experience with liquor, at first you just wanna choke, but then it gets sooo good.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I eat cilantro straight from the fridge too! I don’t get why so many Korean people don’t like cilantro. I base all my friendships around cilantro – if you don’t like it, we can’t be friends. WTF kind of pho are you eating if there’s no cilantro in it???
May 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
your photography is amazingg! definitely adding you to my blogroll!
-trang
May 19th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Note to you:
1. Buy frozen durian
2. Buy vanilla icecream
3. Combine the two into flavored durian icecream
4. Store in a pretty container
5. Enjoy homemade durian icecream
May 19th, 2009 at 12:52 am
I didn’t actually read this post because my computer is so fucked right now that it can’t handle processing that many images but anyway–yeah, banks violette is hot. Plus the fact that his name is banks violette makes him like 10X hotter than someone named ted or jack or something.
May 19th, 2009 at 6:56 am
gosh… seems so god sea foods are always the best!! but this egg eww sounds quite gross… I have a big egg phobia thought!!
great article like always
btw check out my blog, I’ve done a little dedicace to your blog…
bonne nuit, bonne journée
la chauve-souris
May 19th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I have a problem eating meat that still looks like the animal it came from. I’m good with fish fillets but not with crab/shrimp/prawn etc.
Even so, I absolutely loved this post, and felt a little hungry after! No easy feat with me.
Thanks for another wonderful food post.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Raych
Thanks! will take that into consideration. Sounds pretty damn tasty.
Chelsea–
Dude I sort of feel like his name is made up? Total assumption on my part but seriously…I don’t know anyone with that name violette..Jealous of his name obvs.
Alicia–
Yea I used to be like that too but most of the flavor is kept when its still in its skeletal structure…
May 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Wow wow wow. I love that you use cilantro in the sticky rice. My stepmother is Colombian and she makes coconut cilantro sticky rice and its out of control.
I love that i have a visual shopping list for my next trip to Flushing…
By the way, Jewel Bako ended up crazy, going shot for shot of some insane sake (described as extra dry crysanthemum water) with Yoshi and the female sushi chef, who my companion fell in love with. They are amazing people and the omakase was out of this world. The eel!?!?! Religious experience…
May 19th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Thanks for posting. A lot of my friends (Asians included) think “exotic” Asian fruits/vegetables/products are weird and I’m glad you aren’t uncomfortable posting your love for it, especially durian.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
this food post was absolutely amazing!
i have to ask, although it’s not chinese food. have you eaten natto before?
May 19th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Natalie–
Yes Yoshi is the SWEETEST ever.
like so so nice. Glad you went and experienced the eel..Truly mindblowing.
I love how your friend fell in love with the girl. Yoshi’s very talented though isn’t he? He used to work at Masa or something.
White Mice–
No problems. Had a tiny qualm, though maybe people would be freaked out but I shouldn’t be ashamed of my oriental roots.
Robyn–
Yes haha in highschool my mom used to keep it in the fridge all the time b/c she loves creepy slimy beans. She said it was super healthy. Yes Natto is Japanese….Not into it. But natto actually originated from China. I don’t understand asians and their obsession with fermenting everything.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:24 am
When i say fell in love with, i mean starry eyed-most beautiful woman in the room-love. He kept whispering to me about how she was wielding the knife, what sensitive yet brisk power she had… a testament to the intertwining power of food, nourishment, beauty, and love.
I’ll have to tell you more. Or maybe we’ll have to choose a random night to swing by for some oceanic tasmanian trout.
May 20th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I bet you could do something interesting with natto though (I got my boyfriend to like it and eat it daily). Just a thought.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:48 am
Yum Yum…. I love exotic Asian foods
May 21st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I make a hot sauce like that, it’s easy. You could kill it with your skills!
May 21st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I’ve been curious about preserved eggs since a Amy Tan bk. This looks delicious.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:15 pm
dammit im sitting in my uni library supposed to be writing an essay that was due a few days ago and you’re making me very very hungry…
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 am
dang! you are definitely letting people know what’s up with asian cooking! luv it!
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:29 am
Mare P–
Really? I don’t know about that. I’m sure there are people in China who could cook me under the table…but thanks for the encouragement!
May 24th, 2009 at 12:34 am
OMG!!! i love that market, they have the best stuff! i work right across the street from it @ Flushing Savings.
and the restaurant that’s on that same block (sam won gahk) makes some awesome lunch specials! L7 is my favorite, it’s shrimp sauteed with garlic and pepper.
May 24th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
what a great post! the dishes look amazing!! can you also post how much of each ingredient is used? i’m no chef by any means and i need to have exact measurements of each component when i cook! =) you should have seen how my mac n’ cheese turned out when i tried to “guesstimate” the water instead of looking at the box. let’s just say i had ended up with cheese soup… =)
myweekendstyle.blogspot.com
May 26th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I love dis post n always love foodie besides styling blogs.
May i know ur ethnic if u don’t mind? I was amazed to see durians n century eggs r ur purchase lists (well, those r like cheese, either u like them or hate.) Im from Brunei (not sure u heard of it) and durian’s my fav fruit (though i tried not to eat too often as they r “heaty”, century eggs r one of the key condiments for congees, yummy.. What a great blog and will definitely come back for more!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
the tension for that steamed crab picture was built up so nicely that i almost had a drool orgasm at work. i know i say this every time, but HOLY SHIT. that looks amazing.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Hmmm, seafood. Your pictures make me think of home
May 28th, 2009 at 12:17 am
i always say that about people and cilantro to.
its easy to weed out the haters – there are so many!!!
:]
May 28th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
this post has further confirmed that you are the best!
i was actually raised in (suburban) flushing, and go back every so often to visit my parents. this kind of food is definitely what i was raised on.
thank you for introducing all these people to the delicious wonders of REAL chinese food!
ps. besides this supermarket, do you ever visit mainstreet in flushing? there are tons of other markets and restaurants there too.
June 12th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Hi,
May I ask you if you are Chinese? All the food you mentioned I recognize from my parents. I have tasted most of it – and I love it!
I generally love all seafood. Can not mentioned one thing I do not like.
/Chau
August 1st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
You're a total gangster. I love a woman who can throw down in the kitchen. Cold beer with this one.
August 7th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Love your post! I live in Flushing, and you did us proud. Gotta say that market isn't my favorite though. It's on Northern Blvd right? There's the newer markets further up Main St, and also another one that just opened on Northern, almost to Bayside. Both are cleaner and have more selection, to me at least. PS- maybe to save on the cab ride you can take the LIRR or take an express bus back to the city. Or be even cheaper and take the Flushing van direct to Chinatown!
August 8th, 2009 at 4:59 am
The green and blackish preserved eggs are called century eggs. And they are FABULOUS in porridge. And i love the smell of durian! <3<3
September 26th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Ain’t nothing wrong with chicken feet.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Haha. I couldn’t believed my eves when you featured the crispy prawn chilli! I practically eat it straight from the bottle! And yes, it does give me stomachaches after I’ve had my fill of it. Weird.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I am a vegetarian. But I enjoy reading your food posts. Not because I want to eat what you cook. But because of all the honesty and hard work that goes in to your cooking. And yes your presentation is just mind-blowing.
February 19th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
[...] Dungeness Crab/Drunken shrimp [...]
June 6th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Hello from Denmark
I eat Shrimp and crap almost every evening.
Was concerned as with IF they are too fat or…?
Thanks for ur informative posting and time you have taken to share these with us.
Alan
Denmark
alannikdel@yahoo.com
June 20th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
i love to eat asian foods because they are tasty and spicy.*.’
July 11th, 2010 at 9:08 am
what i love about asian foods is that they are always tasty and spice*’*