Chilicrab Recipes

Steps:

• Wash crabs and separate claws from body. Crack the shell and cut the body into 4 to 6 pieces.
• In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, water, cornstarch, and soy sauce.
• Heat skillet and the oil, stir in garlic and shallots. Fry the garlic and shallots for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the chili. Fry another 2 minutes. Add crab pieces and fry until they turn red, about 4 minutes.
• Stir sauce mixture into the skillet until the crabs are well coated. Cover the skillet and let simmer on high heat, for 7 minutes or until the shells turn bright red.
• Remove cover and stir in the lime juice. Stir in beaten egg until it is fully cooked. Turn the heat off and stir in green onions.

Steps:

• If crabs live, put in freezer for 10 minutes to stun.
• Remove back shell and clean spongy bits and brown stuff, clean in water.
• Cut in half lengthwise.
• Remove claws from body and hit with blunt side of a cleaver to crack in several places.
• Cut the halves into two or three pieces leaving legs attached.
• Pound ginger and chili until they form a paste, or zap in the food processor or blender.
• Mix soy sauce, sugar, water (or stock), tomato sauce and chili sauce (if using) in a small jug.
• Put oil in a large hot pan or wok and over a medium heat fry ginger/chili mix for a few minutes.
• Add the crab pieces and stir fry at a higher heat till crab pieces turn red.
• Add liquid mixture and bring back up to the boil, add sesame oil, lower heat to medium and cover with lid for a few minutes giving the occasional stir.
• Garnish with sliced spring onion.
• Don't forget the finger bowls and a bowl in the middle for the shells and lots of paper serviettes/napkins.

Steps:

• In a casserole or large pot of boiling salted water, add the crabs and cook them for about 1 minute, or until no longer moving. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• To clean the crabs pull off top shells; pull and twist off each apron; remove gills. With sharp knife cut crabs into quarters, rinse and drain.
• In mortor and pestle or small food processor pound or process chiles, garlic, shallots and ginger with a little oil if necessary.
• Combine all sauce ingredients.
• Heat a wok over moderately high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until hot. Add chili and garlic paste and stir-fry 1 minute. Add crabs and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until shells turn red. Add sauce ingredients, bring to boil and simmer, covered, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer crabs to serving dish.
• Bring sauce in wok to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to wok. Simmer until thickened. Gradually add eggs in a stream, whisking, and cook for 1 minute. Pour sauce over crabs and garnish with scallion.

Steps:

• If using Dungeness crabs, using cleaver or large chef's knife, cut in half lengthwise and remove back shell and spongy green matter. Remove claws from body section and, using back of cleaver or chef's knife, crack in several places. Cut each body section into 2 or 3 pieces, leaving legs attached. Rinse all pieces thoroughly and pat completely dry.
• In wok or large skillet over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add ginger, garlic, and chiles, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add black beans and stir-fry several seconds. Add crab and stir-fry until meat begins to turn opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in rice wine, tomato and chili sauces, sugar, salt, pepper, and 1 cup water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until crab meat is fully cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.
• In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir into crab mixture in pan and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Stir in eggs and simmer, uncovered, until bits of egg are fully cooked, about 1 minute. Stir in cilantro and scallion. Serve immediately with steamed Chinese buns or baguette slices.

Steps:

• The crab must be prepared before stir-frying (you can ask your fishmonger to do this). This involves removing the claws, the main shell, discarding the dead man's fingers, then cutting the body into four pieces, and cracking the claws and the legs so the sauce can get through to the meat.
• Heat the oil in a large wok and sizzle the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies for 1 min or until fragrant. Add the ketchup, soy and 100ml water, and stir to combine. Throw in the crab, turn up the heat and stir-fry for 3-5 mins or until the crab is piping hot and coated in the sauce. Stir through most of the coriander, spring onions and sliced chilli.
• Use tongs to arrange the crab on a serving dish, pour over the sauce from the pan and scatter over the remaining coriander, spring onions and sliced chilli. Serve with rice or bao buns, and a lot of napkins.

Steps:

• Prepare the crab by removing the base flap, then pull off the head and clear out the cavity. Keep the head in a bowl. Moving to the body of the crab, remove the gills, which are an opaque brown colour on both sides of the crab. Using a sharp knife, cut the crab in half down the middle, then divide into six parts. Using the knife, crack the crab legs open to allow the flavours to enhance while cooking. Add to the bowl with the head then set aside.
• In a food processor, add shallots, ginger, red chillies, garlic, ketchup, and shrimp paste, then pulse until it comes together and forms a paste.
• Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, then once it comes up to temperature fry add the chilli paste and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the crab pieces into the wok and stir until they are fully coated. Give the crab time to start turning orange, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, chicken stock, rice wine vinegar, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and palm sugar, then stir until completely mixed. The crab should be fully orange by now. Add a lid on top and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove the crab legs and head, and plate up on a shallow dish.
• Add butter, spring onions, and egg. Let the egg sit for a minute before stirring, then give the sauce a quick stir. The sauce should thicken up quickly.
• Pour the sauce on top of the crab and garnish with a few sprigs of coriander.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Melt butter in large stockpot over medium-low heat; add tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and green onions. Cook and stir frequently until tomatoes have nearly liquefied, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir kidney beans, baby corn, and celery into the tomato mixture; add chili powder and lime juice and season with salt and ground black pepper. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until celery is soft but still has texture, about 1 hour.
• Stir crab meat and canned tomatoes with liquid into kidney bean mixture, breaking up tomatoes in thirds with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper; add brown sugar if chili tastes too salty.
• Stir shrimp, scallops, and hearts of palm into chili; cook until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.