Chilli mud crab
Mud crab wok-tossed in sticky chilli, garlic and ginger
Mud crabs are caught in the mangroves of Queensland and the Northern Territory, and in Cairns, Darwin and Brisbane the favourite way to eat them is Asian-Australian style, wok-tossed in a sticky sauce of chilli, garlic, ginger and tomato. It is messy, hands-on eating with crusty bread or rice to mop the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to clean and cut the crab into pieces for you, and cook it the same day. A common mistake is using too little sauce; the shells soak it up. Chef's tip: crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife before cooking so the sauce gets in.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the crab
- 2 mud crabs, cleaned and cut into pieces by the fishmongerabout 1.5 kg total
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 6 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 oz fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 3 long red chillieschopped
- 3 shallotsfinely chopped
- ½ cup tomato ketchup
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 eggbeaten
- 3 spring onionssliced
- ½ oz corianderchopped
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse the 2 mud crabs, cleaned and cut into pieces by the fishmonger pieces and crack the claws lightly. Throw away any pieces that smell of ammonia.
3 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok over a high heat. Stir-fry 6 cloves garlic, 1 oz fresh ginger, 3 long red chillies and 3 shallots for 2 minutes until fragrant.
5 minStep 3: Add the crab and toss for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 4: Mix ½ cup tomato ketchup, 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar and ¾ cup water and pour it in. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, tossing now and then, until the shells are bright red-orange and the meat is opaque white all through.
10 minStep 6: Scatter with 3 spring onions and ½ oz coriander and serve with bread or rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chilli mud crab take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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