How to cook a blue swimmer crab and two beautiful preparations

My hubby and I went to our first cooking class at the Sydney Fish Markets, many, many moons ago.  The lesson still remains one of the most interesting and useful classes we have attended. 

Today I show you how you clean a Blue Swimmer Crab and then two Asian style preparations to make this at home. Blue Swimmer Crab is widely available from your local seafood shop.  It has a sweet flavour. The Blue Swimmer Crab is already dead when it is at the fish markets. Look for crabs where all the legs are in tact and the shell is glossy.

I'll start with how to clean and prep the crab - step by step. It's being demonstrated by my hubby in case you were wondering ;)

1. Place the cab so this side faces you.  The male cabs will have the "V" shape flap you can see above.  A female will have a "U" shape flap.  Ensure you use the male variety for sustainability reasons, where possible.

2. Lift the flap and remove the "head" or outer shell.

3.  Remove the "guts". You may wish to use a paper towel to assist you clean at this stage.  Do not wash the crab in an attempt to clean it though, because you will wash all the flavour away! 



4. The cleaned crab will something like this: 



5. Cut the crab in half. Then cut a further half. This will lead to a large claw with a small claw and the second portion will have two smaller claws.

6. Cut so the large claw and smaller claw are now seperated.  Cut the two smaller claws in half.

7. For the large claw, using a device (which looks similar to a nut cracker but used specifically for crabs), make small cracks to the shell.  This ensures when it is cooking the flavours are able to seep through.

Now the crab is prepped and ready you can start the cooking!  

I have shown you below two beautiful preparations you can make. Try one, or as we like, make both and eat with a steaming pot of rice.

Each preparation serves three.   

   

Singaporean Chilli Crab 

Ingredients:

3 cleaned blue swimmer crabs

3 tbsp peanut oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

2 birds eye chilli, chopped finely

small knob of grated ginger, minced

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tsp cornflour

1 cup fish stock

160 ml tomato ketchup (must be ketchup not sauce as ketchup is a thicker variety)

160 ml sweet chilli sauce (I like to use the Ayam brand)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp shao xing (Chinese cooking wine)

3 spring onions, slice diagonally 

1 egg lightly beaten 

corriander leaves to garnish 

Method: 

1. Heat wok over high heat.
2. Once hot add the garlic, chilli, ginger and shrimp paste. Fry for less than one minute. This should be very aromatic.
3. Add the crabs and stir fry until majority of the shells turn from blue to orange.
4. In a separate container dissolve the cornflour in the fish stock, add the tomato ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, shao xing and fish sauce. 
5. Add to to the wok with the spring onions.
6. Reduce heat and stir the crab to ensure it is being coated in the sauce.
7. The crab will be cooked all the shells turn from blue to orange and the crab meat turns from translucent to opaque.  
8. Remove from the heat. Move the crab to one side of the wok. Slowly add the beaten egg by drizzling directly onto the sauce.  You want to create threads of egg through the sauce.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Salt and Pepper Crab

Ingredients:

• 3 cleaned blue swimmer crabs
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• small knob of ginger, minced
• 1/2 stem of the lemongrass (I like to use a combination of the base and upper part)
• rock salt (to taste)
• 3 tsp white peppercorns, crushed in a motor and pestle
• 2-3 spring onions
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 50 ml shao xing (Chinese cooking wine)
• coriander leaves to garnish 

Method:

1. Heat oil, add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, salt and pepper and the crab.
2. Stir until the crab is coated in all the ingredients then cook over a medium heat for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the sugar, Chinese wine, and spring onions and stir through.
4. Continue to cook until the shells turn from blue to orange and the crab meat turns from translucent to opaque.  
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.