serves
4
prep
25 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 4 blue swimmer crabs
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
- 35 g (¼ cup) black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 5 cm piece ginger, peeled, sliced
- ½ bunch spring onions, sliced
- 2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
- 60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
- 60 ml (¼ cup) oyster sauce
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 80 g unsalted butter, chopped
- 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
Instructions
To prepare crabs, break off tail flaps on the underside and discard. Carefully pull off back shells and reserve. Remove ‘dead man’s fingers’ (soft gills) and discard, then rinse and discard stomach sac. Cut each crab in half lengthwise, then crack large claws to ensure they cook through. Pat crabs dry using paper towel.
Heat oil in a wok over high heat to 180°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Add crabs in batches and cook, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until just before cooked through. Using tongs, remove crabs and drain on paper towel.
Remove half the oil from wok and discard. Add peppercorns, garlic, ginger, half the spring onions and half the chillies to the wok and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, butter and chicken stock, and simmer for 1 minute. Return crab to wok and simmer, turning occasionally, for a further 4 minutes or until sauce has reduced. Top with remaining spring onions, chillies and coriander leaves, and serve immediately.
Photography by Chris Chen
As seen in Feast magazine, Dec/Jan 2013, Issue 27.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
