Vietnamese Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup (Printable)
Hearty Vietnamese soup with thick tapioca noodles, crab meat, and aromatic broth
# What You Need:
→ Broth
01 - 5 cups chicken stock
02 - 14 oz pork bones, blanched
03 - 1 yellow onion, halved
04 - 2 cloves garlic, smashed
05 - 1 tsp salt
06 - 1 tsp sugar
07 - 1 tbsp fish sauce
→ Crab & Seafood
08 - 10 oz fresh crab meat or cooked crab claws
09 - 5 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 - 7 oz fish cakes or surimi, sliced
→ Noodles
11 - 14 oz banh canh (thick tapioca noodles), fresh or frozen
→ Garnishes
12 - 2 spring onions, finely sliced
13 - 2 tbsp fried shallots
14 - 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
15 - 1 red chili, sliced
16 - Lime wedges
17 - Fresh ground black pepper
# How to Make It:
01 - In a large soup pot, combine chicken stock, blanched pork bones, halved onion, smashed garlic, salt, and sugar. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
02 - Stir in fish sauce and let the broth simmer for another 2 minutes. Using a strainer or slotted spoon, remove and discard the pork bones and onion halves from the broth.
03 - Add peeled and deveined shrimp to the simmering broth. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just pink and opaque. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
04 - Add crab meat and sliced fish cakes to the broth. Simmer gently over low heat for 5-7 minutes to allow flavors to meld together. Keep the broth hot.
05 - While broth simmers, cook banh canh noodles according to package instructions (typically boil for 3-5 minutes). Drain well and rinse lightly with cold water to prevent sticking.
06 - Divide cooked noodles evenly among 4 serving bowls. Arrange the cooked shrimp, crab meat, and fish cakes on top of the noodles.
07 - Ladle hot broth generously over each bowl to cover the noodles and seafood. Top with sliced spring onions, fried shallots, chopped cilantro, and sliced red chili if using. Serve immediately with lime wedges and fresh black pepper on the side.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The broth develops this incredible depth from simmering pork bones with aromatics, creating a base that tastes like it cooked all day even though it comes together in under an hour.
- Those chewy tapioca noodles have this satisfying bounce that perfectly complements the tender crab and sweet shrimp, making every bite feel like a special occasion.
02 -
- Overcooking the shrimp is the most common mistake, they turn from sweet and tender to rubbery in seconds, so pull them the moment they curl and turn opaque.
- The noodles continue cooking in the hot broth, so slightly undercook them in the boiling water to maintain that perfect chewy bounce in the finished bowl.
03 -
- If you can find fresh crab claws, cook them directly in the broth for 5 minutes before removing the meat, this infuses even more crab flavor into the liquid.
- A small dollop of crab paste in a small oil adds incredible depth if you want that restaurant quality broth.