Chinese Steamed Cracked Crabs

1 Crab, live in the shell,

-about 2 pounds 2 Green onions, bruised and

-cut in half 2 qt Sized slices of ginger

1 tb Shao Hsing wine or dry

-sherry Ginger, Green Onion and -Vinegar Dipping Sauce 4 tb Finely shredded green onion

2 tb Finely shredded ginger,

-preferably young ginger 1/4 ts Sugar

1/2 ts Salt

5 tb Vinegar

3 1/2 tb Peanut oil

It`s crab season here in the San Francisco bay area. Heap and heaps of luscious Dungeness crabs are showing up all over the place. Steamed or live++take your pick! I was in Oakland`s Chinatown last weekend shopping at the Sam Yick gorcery and saw a couple of boxes of still- kicking Blue crabs for a buck seventy-nine a pound. Good eatin` ahead! Kill and clean the crab. Place it, top shell down, on a heat- resistant plate. Scatter the onion, ginger and wine on top of the crab. Put the crab and plate into a preheated steamer. steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Remove and cool. Disjoint and crack the crab and arrange on a platter. Dip the meat into the dipping sauce and eat with green onions and ginger. Use the tip of the leg to dig out the meat. Serves 2 as a light meal. GINGER, GREEN ONION and VINEGAR DIPPING SAUCE Scatter green onions in a shallow saucer. Top with the shredded ginger. Sprinkle sugar and salt evenly over the ginger. Pour the vinegar over the ginger. Heat the oil until it`s hot but not smoking, and pour it over the mixture. It should sizzle lightly. If it is too hot, let it cool. Makes about 2/3 cup. Joyce Jue, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/5/90. Posted by Stephen Ceideburg December 8 1990.