Crispy Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crabs

Ingredients

• 6 soft shell crabs, cleaned, halved
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (from 2 large shallots)
• 1 cup thinly sliced red and green hot chilies (such as Thai chilies, red jalapenos, serranos, and habanero)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) or sake
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 4 cups peanut oil
• 12 scallions, whites and pale green parts cut into 1-inch pieces, green parts thinly sliced
• 5 dried red chiles

Steps

1. Arrange crab halves in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with kitchen towels. Chill, uncovered, to let dry slightly, 2 to 3 hours.
2. Combine shallots, chiles, soy sauce, chicken stock, rice wine, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a medium bowl.
3. Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Combine sugar, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Place egg whites in a wide shallow bowl; whisk lightly to loosen. Place cornstarch in a second wide shallow bowl. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large wok to 375°F. Dip crab pieces in egg whites to coat, then dredge in cornstarch. Working in 2 batches, lift crabs from cornstarch, shaking off excess, and fry in oil until crispy, 2 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Transfer 2 tablespoons of oil from wok to a large skillet. Heat over high heat. When smoking, add scallion whites, chiles, and crabs. Toss to coat, sprinkling the sugar mixture over as you toss, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and garnish with scallion greens. Serve with dipping sauce.