Pepper Crabs

Black pepper crab is another popular sea food dish in Singapore. It may have also taken over chili crab in popularity. This dish was also created by the chili crab pioneer Palm Beach seafood restaurant in 1959. Some locals and tourist the black pepper crab over the chili crab because it’s more drier and fragrant pepperish nature. Same as the chili crab, mud crab is the preferred crustacean for this dish but you can also use other soft shell crab if the latter is not available. Make sure the crab is fresh, anyway you will not have difficulty finding one because there are so many seafood stalls that sells live mud crabs. It’s also best to go to the wet market early in the morning because you will get a much better deal or a bargain and the freshest crab. This is an option if you’ll do the cooking. Any way it’s not complicated to prepare the dish. This is just a sample of how I make my black pepper crab.

Ingredients:
3 fresh mud crabs (about 1 lb each)
Oil for deep frying
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon salted soya beans, mashed
2 tablespoons dried prawns, roasted and ground
2 tablespoons black pepper, ground coarsely
1/2 cup curry leaves
10 red or green bird’s-eye chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons black soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1. Clean the crabs and cut in half, discarding the spongy “dead man’s fingers.”
2. Smash the claws with a cleaver to allow the seasonings in. Deep fry the crab until half-cooked, drain and set aside.
3. Heat a wok, melt butter and put in shallots, garlic, salted soy beans, dried prawns, black pepper, curry leaves and chilies.
4. Sauté till fragrant, then add crab and the remaining ingredients.
5.  Cook for 5-10 minutes until the crab is done

Best served with an ice cold lemonade or beer to wash down the peppery goodness. Enjoy!