| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 17 min |
| Prep: | 7 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 appetizer servings |
Ingredients
- 2 whole cooked Dungeness crabs
- 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons hot chili paste
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce or Indonesian soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 serrano chile, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Pull the main shell off the crab and discard it. Remove the gray gills and the soft insides. Cut the body in half and then cut between each leg. Crack the legs and claws with the back of the knife or a hammer and set aside.
- In a bowl mix the ketchup, chili paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and tamarind paste; thin it with 1/4 cup water and set aside. Pour the oil into a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the scallion, ginger, garlic, 1/2 the chile, and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Add the crab and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the sauce and continue cooking, stirring often, until the crab has absorbed the sauce and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Put onto a platter and garnish with the rest of the chile and cilantro. Serve with plenty of napkins!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 200 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Sodium | 1260 mg |
Reviews
This is delicious. Like in the top 1% of recipes I’ve made. And I cook ALL THE TIME. And while there are several 1-star reviews because it’s not authentic, ignore them. It’s a delectable, easy, and super flavorful recipe for Dungeness crab. It’s sweet, aromatic, spicy, and well balanced. I served it over rice and with a cold pickled cucumber salad. This is one of the tastiest recipes I have made.
Nah… this is not Singapore style. I’m sure you are a good cook and your rendition is probably very delicious, and sure, not having all the ingredients is understandable. However this recipe has deviated a bit too much from the actual recipe and is missing an important part – the Chilli crab gravy… that important chilli gravy with egg-drops. That gravy is what makes the dish “Chilli Crab”. So while this is probably be a delicious chilli crab recipe, it is most definitely not Singapore style. Cheers for the effort though and thank you for appreciating this signature dish from my country.
Too bad this recipe tricks people into thinking they’re having the real Chili crab from Singapore. This is nothing like it. Also, oyster sauce is nothing like Indonesian soy sauce (also, WHICH? sweet and thick or thin and salty?) Also, dark soy sauce is vague as well – again, sweet and thick or thin and salty? Singaporeans (and people who want the real thing), this is not for you.
Great Recipe . I tried it and turned out to be a great hit with my Son.
This was very very good. I used frozen snow crab claws that I found at whole foods….16 oz bag. So I made the sauce as directed and used only half of it. I only used 1 tbsp. of the Indonesian soy sauce (we don’t like it too sweet) and used siracha. I also added curry leaves. The crab claws were half removed from the shells so all i had to do was thaw and toss them in the pan. Next time, I will just thaw in the pan. Very very very very good.
I am a Singaporean and have moved to Reno, Nevada for 3 years now. This is definitely one of the many yummy dishes I have missed dearly. I tried this recipe today and I knew it was not like the chilli crab I am used to from back home from the minute I put together the sauces.
It is a tasty dish, just that I wouldn’t have called it Singapore-style because it was not even close.
its very tasty my kids love them and they always want me to make this way. i also make fijian style with coconut milk. we love spicy food so i add more chillies in there
I substituted the ginger for galangal powder and Sriracha for the chili paste because I didn’t have it. Both substitutions didn’t seem to make a big difference as the dish was still delicious. My husband hates eating crab because it’s messy but he was willing to dig in and get covered in crabby juices for this dish.
Excellent recipe. Everyone that has had it loves it. A little messy but worth it.
I lived in Singapore and this was my favorite food. I ate it usually at the carpark or the street vendors. They would close down a street and all the vendors would set up their stalls. You would go from vendor to vendor to pick out what you would eat. I had one favorite guy and he would always save his biggest crab for me. One night the American Navy was in port and when I arrived, there were 2 sailors wanting the large crab. He said NO. SAVING FOR MISSY. About that time I showed up and they couldn’t believe I was going to eat this huge crab myself. I showed them. Best food there is. Thanks Tyler for giving the recipe.