Singapore Chilli Crab Recipe

Right here’s arguably probably the most well-known crab recipe on the earth: Singapore Chilli Crab! For the last word expertise, use stay mud crab that you just clear and lower your self. Be ready to get messy consuming it (half the enjoyable!) – and to be stunned at how fast it’s to make!

The very best a part of this dish? The sauce. These things is the Mom Of All Flavour Bombs!

Any Singaporean will inform you the sauce is the beating coronary heart of Singapore Chilli Crab. It’s an explosion of seafood flavour, much less spicy than the identify suggests, subtly candy, deeply savoury. Sauce excellence at its best!

You’ve heard about it all of your life, you would possibly’ve even tried it on its dwelling turf in Singapore. It’s in all probability the most iconic crab dish on the earth. It’s grand, it’s daring, it’s enjoyable, and it’s an event. And naturally, completely scrumptious!

It’s a proven fact that crab, particularly stay, is dear. So in the event you’re on the fence about why it’s best to make this, right here’s one purpose: We predict this recipe is miles higher than any chilli crab we’ve tried even right here in Sydney!

I do know that may be a fairly daring assertion, nor am I one to blow my very own trumpet. In spite of everything, Sydney is a food-lover’s playground, brimming with very good eating places showcasing lots of the world’s greatest cuisines. However the RecipeTin group AND my household have searched excessive and low, travelling far and vast to strive Singapore Chilli Crab at well-known institutions across the metropolis.

And but, each single one has someway fallen wanting our expectations. Not the crab thoughts you – stay crab cooked recent is tough to get mistaken, in spite of everything.

No, it’s the sauce. Any Singaporean will inform you the sauce is the beating coronary heart of Singapore Chilli Crab. But the sauce at each Chilli Crab place we tried was both too candy, lacked the requisite flavour kick, or simply didn’t style fairly proper.

So if there’s one factor I’ll stand behind on this Singapore Chilli Crab recipe, it’s this: The flavour within the sauce is extraordinary. Deeply advanced, mildly spicy, with an ideal steadiness of candy and savoury, these things is the Mom Of All Flavour Bombs. The Singapore Chilli Crab sauce is so good in truth, that phrases fail me. And that’s saying one thing!! 😂

There’s 3 components to Singapore Chilli Crab:

1. The crab – Contemporary, stay mud crab is the standard crab used, prized for its candy and meaty flesh. However any massive crabs can be utilized;

2. The chilli paste – Considerably like a Thai curry, the bottom of the sauce is made with recent chillies and aromatics, all blitzed as much as launch the recent flavour; and

3. The sauce – Many issues go into it however three genuine, key elements that thrust the sauce to hovering flavour heights: the reserved crab tomalley from contained in the crab (“crab mustard”), shrimp paste and ketchup. Learn on for why!

1. The crab

Stay mud crab is the primary and most conventional alternative for the last word Singapore Chilli Crab consuming expertise. Identified for his or her fearsomely massive claws filled with candy, juicy meat, stay mud crabs are offered in Australia and Asia at fish markets and huge seafood retailers.

The right way to clear and lower crab

I’ve written a separate publish on clear and put together the crab.

The job is much simpler than you suppose, particularly when you may have somebody to carry your hand by way of the method (that might be me!) Dispatching the crab will not be a stress both. You might have terrifying visions of partaking in hand-to-hand fight with a large crustacean desperately preventing for its life, legs flailing and claws snapping. However I guarantee you it’s so simple as popping the sure critter into the freezer to till it sleeps.

After slicing the crab

As soon as the crab is lower up, you’ll find yourself with:

1. Crab items; and

2. Crab juice plus tomalley which can also be affectionately often known as “crab mustard”. It’s really the liver and pancreas of the crab, and these things is crab gold! It’s packed filled with crab flavour and it’s a secret ingredient in Singapore Chilli Crab that offers the sauce an enormous savoury enhance.

Crab slicing service – particular request

Additionally, I simply came upon simply right now that some seafood retailers will lower the crab up for you on request, resembling Claudio’s on the Sydney Fish Markets. Helpful!

If the seafood retailer presents a service to chop the crab up for you, ensure you request the “tomalley” (“Crab mustard”) from contained in the crab be reserved as this is likely one of the secret elements that’s make the sauce so unbelievable! See above for extra details about tomalley.

Greatest crab for Singapore Chilli Crab

As famous above, the standard crab used is a mud crab, round 1.5kg / 3 lb. Typically, greater is best. Bigger crabs are prized for his or her grandeur in addition to ease of consuming! However the dish could be made with any massive crabs, resembling:

• Australia: Blue swimmer (smaller than mud crab, however the shell is softer so it’s simpler to extract the meat), spanner crab (little or no meat within the claws, however tons within the physique)

• America/Canada: Blue crab, dungeness crab, rock crab, stone crab

• UK : Brown crab, spider crab

Right here’s a photograph of Singapore Chilli Crab made with blue swimmer crabs. As a result of they’re smaller, I used 2 massive crabs which totalled round 1.5kg/3lb. They style is simply as nice as mud crabs, however they’re extra fiddly to get the flesh out as a result of they’re smaller!

Contemporary vs frozen crab

So as of desire:

1. Contemporary, stay crab is greatest – See separate publish for clear and put together stay crab;

2. Contemporary however not stay – That is crab that’s raw and never beforehand frozen. (Australia: These are crabs which might be killed quickly after catching to protect flavour. Raw mud crabs could be discovered however blue swimmer crabs are extra widespread.) Attempt to purchase a complete crab you chop your self moderately than pre-cut, for optimum freshness;

3. Frozen uncooked crab – Complete or in items

I’m sorry to say pre-cooked crab (whether or not recent or frozen) will not be on the listing. I’ve been disillusioned far too many occasions up to now on the high quality in Australia a minimum of, lulled by massive guarantees from fish mongers that don’t ship. Additionally, the sauce actually wants the crab juices that leach out because it cooks, it’s an important a part of the flavour!

Crabs not appropriate for Singapore Chilli crab

• Small crabs – You would but it surely’s quite a lot of work to extract not a lot meat!

• King crab – This can be a premium crab with candy, extremely meaty leg meat. Whereas in Sydney you should purchase raw king crab legs, I are likely to suppose the robust flavours of this chilli sauce might overwhelm the fragile flavour. Be happy to strive!

• Snow crab – The flesh of this crab is kind of delicate and crumbly, so I don’t suppose it could be suited to make use of on this dish.

If crab isn’t inside your attain, make this recipe with prawns/shrimp as a substitute. It’s phenomenal!

2. Singapore Chilli Crab chilli paste (sauce base)

Right here’s what you want for the chilli paste which kinds the bottom of the sauce:

• Taucu paste – This can be a fermented yellow soy bean paste utilized in Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean delicacies. Consider it it or not, you possibly can even get it at massive grocery shops in Australia resembling Woolworths (see right here). It tastes a bit like miso paste and performs an analogous position, including deep savoury flavour to meals. Substitute with Miso paste + a contact of sugar;

• Contemporary chillies – By utilizing massive pink chillies, we get nice chilli flavour within the sauce and color with out making it blow-your-head-off spicy. These are cayenne peppers. Singapore Chilli Crab will not be meant to be insanely spicy! Be happy to cut back in keeping with your style. If you wish to be conservative, shoot for a small quantity as you possibly can all the time beef up the chilli issue later by including some chilli or scorching sauce;

• Eschalot – Also referred to as French onions, and are referred to as “shallots” within the US. They seem like child onions, however have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. To not be confused with what some folks in Australia name “shallots” ie the lengthy inexperienced onions. Substitute with pink onion; and

• Ginger and garlic – Important aromatics in Asian cooking!

3. Different Singapore Chilli Crab sauce elements

Along with the chilli paste, listed below are the opposite elements required for the sauce:

• Roasted belachan shrimp paste – There’s no hiding it: these things stinks. It’s smelly out of the packet, and phenomenally smelly once you begin cooking it. It’s possible you’ll need to warn your neighbours. However as soon as cooked, the offensive odor all however disappears and it provides an extremely deep, savoury flavour into something you utilize it in. Out there even at grocery shops right here in Australia (resembling Woolies, Coles) and at Asian shops, it’s a key secret ingredient on this dish. There actually isn’t any substitute that can obtain the identical end result, however the greatest different is shrimp paste;

• Ketchup – Sure, ketchup (tomato sauce to us Australians) is utilized in genuine Singapore Chilli Crab! Singapore is a melting pot of East meets West, and these influences are often embraced within the meals. It’s one other secret ingredient, used so as to add sweetness in addition to wealthy tomato and spice notes. Don’t skip it!

• Candy chilli sauce – Simply your stock-standard Asian (eg. Thai) candy chilli sauce from any grocery retailer. It provides additional sweetness and a few gingery heat to the sauce;

• Tomato passata or puree – To not be confused with tomato paste which is a thick, concentrated and bitter paste, tomato passata is pureed, strained pure tomatoes. Generally labelled Tomato Puree within the US (right here’s a photograph of Mutti Tomato Passata offered at Walmart). Available in Australian supermarkets these days, alongside pasta sauces;

• Egg – Whisked egg is combined into the simmering sauce on the finish to create a sexy marbling impact from the cooked egg, a signature of Singapore Chilli Crab;

• Vinegar – A bitter dimension is the third flavour pillar along with sweetness and savouriness. It’s important for steadiness in Singapore Chill Crab sauce;

• Inexperienced onion and coriander / cilantro – For garnish.

The precise cooking half is outstandingly easy. Actually, folks in my group who’ve made this recipe all touch upon the way it takes extra effort to eat this dish than to make it!!!

Half 1: Making the sauce

1. Chilli paste: Place elements in a small meals processor or Nutribullet. Blitz till it’s a paste;

2. Belachan: Take away from the packet (it is available in little blocks) and roughly chop. You suppose it’s smelly now, wait till you begin cooking it!

3. Sauté belachan: Warmth oil in a big pot over medium-high warmth. Add belachan and cook dinner for two minutes, stirring consistently. The odor will make your hair stand on finish, however have religion! It is going to rework into one thing stunning. Assume caterpillars and butterflies …

4. Cook dinner off chilli paste: Add chilli paste and cook dinner, stirring, for 3 minutes.

5. Add tomato passata: Add tomato passata and cook dinner, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes.

6. Add remaining sauce elements: Add candy chilli sauce, ketchup, water and stir to mix. Convey to simmer. Now we’re able to cook dinner the crab!

Half 2:

1. Add claws: We’re going to cook dinner the claws first as a result of they take the longest. If you’re not utilizing mud crab and the claws aren’t as massive, you won’t want to do that;

2. Cook dinner claws 3 minutes: Put the claws within the pot, and stir to coat in sauce. Convey to a boil, then scale back warmth to simmer. Cowl with lid and cook dinner 3 minutes;

3. Add “crab mustard”: Take away lid, then add the reserved tomalley (“crab mustard”) together with all of the crab juices;

4. Add remaining crab: Add all of the remaining crab components, in addition to any juices which might be within the bowl.;

5. Cook dinner 7 minutes: Stir properly to coat, put the lid again on and cook dinner for 7 minutes;

6. Crab executed, transfer on to ending sauce: The crab is now cooked. Now we simply want to complete the sauce!

Half 3: Ending the sauce

1. Take away crab: Use tongs to take away all of the crab items. We do that as a result of we have to combine egg and vinegar into the sauce and it’s simpler to do with out the crab within the pot;

2. Switch to bowl: Switch all of the crab items to a bowl;

3. Egg ribbons: With the sauce nonetheless on the range, whereas stirring in a round stirring movement, pour the egg in a skinny stream into the center of the pot. It will create little ribbons of cooked eggs the sauce;

4. Vinegar: Lastly stir in vinegar;

5. Return crab: Return the crab items to the pot;

6. Coat in sauce: Gently stir to coat all of the crab items within the sauce.

And also you’re executed! Now it’s simply time to plate up!

Half 4: Plating up

1. Switch and organize crab items in a big, shallow serving dish;

2. Pour over the sauce. All of it!

3. Garnish with recent coriander/cilantro and inexperienced onion;

4. Dive in and devour whereas it’s scorching and recent!

Historically in Singapore, Chilli Crab is served with a stack of golden mantou buns. These steamed and fried, fluffy Chinese language buns make the right vessel for mopping up all that lip-smacking sauce. These could be laborious to supply although, so a baguette, crusty loaf and even comfortable dinner rolls are completely good alternate options.

Although if you’d like one of the best, make do-it-yourself brioche. Assume – comfortable buttery bread dunked in scorching spicy flavour loaded sauce…. *her wants buckle on the mere thought!*

Rice naturally additionally pairs completely properly, however you’ll discover your chopsticks get slippery fairly rapidly!

Ending on a critical word although, that is in all probability one of the vital iconic “massive deal” recipes I’ve shared on my web site since I began it 6 years in the past. Initiated as a result of I simply couldn’t discover nice Singapore Crab anyplace in Sydney, and this form of meals is me on a plate. Daring flavours, messy meals you eat together with your palms.

After I set out to do that, I had by no means dealt with a complete crab earlier than. And definitely by no means tackled a stay mud crab earlier than.

It’s been a labour of affection, studying clear and put together crab, growing what I feel is the last word Singapore Chilli Crab recipe, however most of all, the time consuming technique of documenting it. Movies, images, writing.

That I can present folks from all world wide make my favorite dishes, that is what will get me off the bed every single day, that motivates me to do the easiest I can in each side of what I do.

Sounds corny? Maybe. Although really, I’m simply attempting to elucidate, maybe to myself, why I’ve put a lot effort into one single recipe!

I really hope you give this dish a go sooner or later. It’s epic! – Johnsat x

Singapore Chilli Crab Recipe

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Serves: 3 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg / 3lb live mud crab or other large, fresh crab , cut into large portion size pieces and tomalley reserved ("crab mustard") (Note 1)
• 5 red cayenne chilli , seeds left in, roughly chopped (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp taucu paste (fermeted soy paste, sub miso Note 3)
• 6 garlic cloves (small), roughly chopped
• 2 eschalots (small), roughly chopped (Note 4)
• 3 tbsp ginger , roughly chopped (~7.5cm / 3″ piece)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp belachan dried shrimp paste , chopped (sub shrimp paste, Note 5)
• 1 cup tomato passata (Note 6)
• 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 cups water
• 1 egg , lightly whisked
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• Fresh coriander , leaves whole or roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp green onion , finely sliced (or 1/4 cup finely sliced on angle, ice water 3 minutes for slight curl)
• Golden mantou buns (Note 7)

Instructions

1. Prepare crab: See separate tutorial for how to clean and cut a whole crab. You will end up with: 1) Crab pieces; and 2) Reserved tomalley ("crab mustard", Note 8) and crab juices in a separate bowl. This is a key "secret ingredient" used to flavour the sauce.
2. Chilli paste: Place ingredients in a small food processor or Nutribullet. Blitz until it's a fairly smooth paste.
3. Sauté belachan: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add belachan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It will smell pungent (to put it mildly), but have faith! It will mellow and transform!
4. Cook off chilli paste: Add chilli paste and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
5. Add tomato passata: Add tomato passata and cook, stirring regularly, for 4 minutes.
6. Add remaining sauce ingredients: Add sweet chilli sauce, ketchup, water and stir to combine.
7. Add claws: Add the crab claws first (they take longer to cook), stir to coat in sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover with a lid and cook 3 minutes.
8. Add "crab mustard" and juices: Add the reserved tomalley ("crab mustard") along with all the crab juices.
9. Add remaining crab pieces: Remove lid, add remaining crab pieces and any juices that have collected in this bowl. Stir pieces to coat, put the lid back on and cook for 7 minutes.
10. Remove crab: Use tongs to remove crab pieces into a bowl.
11. Egg ribbons: With the sauce still on the stove, and while stirring in a circular motion, pour the egg in a thin stream into the middle of the pot. This will create little ribbons of egg in the sauce that is traditional and look lovely.
12. Vinegar: Stir in vinegar.
13. Return crab: Return the crab pieces into the pot, gently stir to coat in the sauce.
14. Transfer crab pieces into a large serving plate or shallow dish. Pour over all the sauce from the pot. Garnish with coriander and green onion.
15. Serve with golden mantou buns (steamed and fried Chinese buns, traditional – Note 7), or homemade brioche (ultimate sub!), baguette, crusty bread or dinner rolls. Alternatively serve with rice on the side.
16. How to eat: Be prepared to get messy! Dive in for the claw (the prime piece!). Use crab or nut crackers to break the shell (or a meat tenderiser or hammer – anything to get to that meat!!) and reveal hunks of sweet juicy crab meat. Dunk generously in sauce and devour.
17. Leftover Sauce: You will have leftover sauce. It's loaded with flavour so save it, it's precious! See in post for ideas for how to use.

Notes

1. Crab – See separate post for how to clean and cut crab. You can use any large crabs, such as:
Australia – Mud crab, blue swimmer crab, spanner crab
US – Dungeness crab, rock crab, stone crab
UK – Brown crab, spider crab
In order of preference: Live crab; fresh but dead; frozen but raw. Pre-cooked crab won’t work here, the sauce will lack flavour.
If using live crab, for the absolute best experience, keep it alive until just before cooking. Details are in the post for how to prepare the crab.
IMPORTANT – Getting the crab cut for you: If the seafood store offers a service to cut the crab up for you, make sure you request the “tomalley” (“Crab mustard”) be reserved as this is one of the secret ingredients that’s make the sauce so incredible! See Note 8 for more information.
Alternative to crab: Make this with prawns/shrimp instead!! Use 1.5 – 1.75 kg / 3 – 3.5lb of whole prawns. Toss into the sauce whole and cook for 5 minutes. It’s amazing! (There’s no tomalley to reserve with prawns, and no sub, you don’t need it!)
2. Chilli – Large chillis are less spicy. To reduce spiciness, just use less chilli and/or remove the seeds (the seeds are spicy!). If you change your mind at the end, you can add a dash of hot sauce to dial up the spice factor.
3. Taucu paste – Available at large grocery stores in Australia (Woolies), this is a fermented yellow soy bean paste that adds complex savoury flavour into the sauce. Substitute with 1 tbsp miso paste + 1/2 tsp sugar.
4. Eschalot – Also known as French onions, and are called “shallots” in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions which we also use in this recipe! Sub with 1/2 red onion.
5. Belachan – Dried shrimp paste used extensively in South East Asian cooking. It isn’t the most pleasant smell, but adds a ton of savoury umami into the dish! Once cooked however, the smell dissipates and it will be transformed. It is sold at large grocery stores in Australia (Woolies, Coles) or Asian stores. This is a secret ingredient, so really try not to skip it. Best substitute: Bottled shrimp paste, use 2 tablespoons (you need this much because flavour is not as intense).
6. Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained tomatoes, sometimes labelled Tomato Puree in the US. Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. It is smooth and thick rather than chunky like canned tomato, which means you don’t need simmer it for a long time to break down the tomato. See here for more information on passata.
7. “Golden” mantou buns – Steamed Chinese buns made of flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water that are fried. These are a traditional accompaniment with Singapore Chilli Crab, excellent for dunking in the sauce! You can find them at some Asian stores. Alternatively, serve with a baguette, crusty bread or dinner rolls. Steamed white rice is also another option.
8. Tomalley – This yellow and green substance from inside the crab is actually the liver and pancreas. Affectionately known as crab “mustard” or “crab fat”, it’s packed with intense crab flavour and is not to be wasted!
It’s the secret ingredient that makes the sauce for Singapore Chilli Crab so good!
9. What to do with leftover Singapore Chilli Crab Sauce – This stuff is absolutely packed with flavour, don’t waste a drop! It will freeze for 3 months, or keep it in the fridge for 5 days. Ideas for use:
Toss through hot noodles or even pasta (this is my favourite)
Dipping sauce (bread or spring rolls or rice paper rolls)
Quickly stir fry some prawns / shrimp and stir through sauce for a fast meal
Over rice – best bowl of rice of your life!
Over omelette – think Egg Foo Young style!
Any eggs for breakfast
Over steamed green vegs (broccoli/green beans)
10. Leftover Singapore Chilli Crab – Strange to think it might happen, but it can! It will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Just reheat gently in the microwave.

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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