| 1 | To kill the crab, either plunge it into a large pot of boiling water for a minute, or place it on its back on a cutting board and split the body down the middle with one quick cut with a heavy knife or chinese cleaver. |
| 2 | If you want to use the upper shell in the presentation, the first technique works better. |
| 3 | holding the crab body by the legs, pull off the shell. |
| 4 | Discard the feathery gills on both sides of the body and the spongy mass in the middle of the back; rinse until nothing but shell and meat show. |
| 5 | Pull out the bits of greenish fat from the corners of the shell; reserve if desired for the sauce. |
| 6 | Rinse both the body and shell and drain thoroughly. |
| 7 | split the body of the crab (if it is not already split) into 2 halves with legs and claws still attached. |
| 8 | Carefully crack each leg and claw segment with a mallet. |
| 9 | place in a large bowl with the oil, ginger, garlic, chiles and a generous grinding of pepper. |
| 10 | Marinate for 1 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. |
| 11 | remove crab from marinade 15 minutes before cooking. |
| 12 | Grill the halves and the shell over a hot fire until outer shells are bright red and meat in the largest sections is opaque (pry one open to check), 3 to 4 minutes per side. |
| 13 | Or , place crab halves and shell in a roasting pan lightly oiled with a bit of the marinade and roast in a 450f oven until done as described above, about 12 to 15 minutes. |
| 14 | Meanwhile, strain vegetables out of marinade and combine with the butter in a saucepan. |
| 15 | Simmer for 5 minutes and season to taste. |
| 16 | Serve in small bowls as a dipping sauce for the crab. |
| 17 | serves 2. |
