Get this easy and simple recipe for this yummy Chili Crab that has the perfect blend of sweet and spicy!
I am in heaven! Yes! Crabs are one of the things that make me happy! What makes me more happy about this recipe is how surprisingly simple and easy it is to make.
I used blue crabs for this Chili Crab recipe but mangrove (mud) crabs would also be perfect.
It would be better if I could get fresh crabs instead of the frozen one that I was able to manage to get here in Germany. Back in my hometown Pampanga, it is a lot easier to get fresh big mangrove (mud) crabs. This is one of the things I look forward to every time we go to the Philippines. But (very) soon, I will be able to get my hands on those fresh, meaty, yummy crabs and all the other good stuff that I've been missing and craving for in the last five years that I've moved to Germany! ???? ????????
In buying fresh crabs, it could get frustrating and disappointing if you end up with ones that look good and solid outside but hollow or with so less flesh (and fat) inside especially since they are not that cheap at all. Years back, my best friend, Sharon, taught me a very important lesson in life! She taught me a simple and a more subtle way of how to get good meaty crabs! You can tell that a crab is meaty if when you pinch (thumb on top and index at the bottom) the (pointy) side of the top shell (carapace) it should feel full or hard to press.
Printable Recipe
Chili Crab
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 big cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoons ginger - minced
- ½ cup shallots - chopped (or a medium onion)
- 3 pieces crabs - washed and each cut into 2
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup tomato ketchup
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
- 1 egg - beaten
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic, ginger, and shallots.
- Add the crabs and 1 cup of water then cover and let it cook for 5 minutes or until the crab's shells turn red all around.
- Add the tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce, and fish sauce. Stir well making sure that the crabs get covered with the sauces. Cook for another two minutes.
- Move the crab pieces on one side of the wok and pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and mix until the sauce thickens. Lastly, add the beaten egg into the sauce and stir quickly to prevent it from making lumps. Cover the crabs with the sauce and cook for another minute.
Rowena salinda says
Yummy. One of our favorites now. Thank you.❤️
clarisse says
hi there! just bought a 3 frozen crabs (they were frozen after they were steamed). can i still use this recipe?
Bebs says
Sure you can, Clarisse.
Monchet Carballo says
Hi!
This is a fantastic recipe. I love chili crabs but most of the other recipes are more complicated. This one is surprisingly simple, cheap but utterly delicious. Just cooked it now for lunch using blue crabs and it came out excellent, as I expected. Next time, I will try it with mud crabs and make a few adjustments to the sauce, making it spicier by adding chopped fresh red chili. But otherwise, it was very good. Congratulations!
- Monchet
Bebs says
Glad that you like our recipe! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Zara says
I love crabs! Finally! I should make this ASAP. 🙂
- Zara
Bebs says
Enjoy your crabs, Zara! I know I did!???? I ate it with rice of course! ????!