Make a grab for crab
Vanessa Frida | The New Paper | Mon Jul 16 2012
Singapore, July 16, 2012
The past few columns have seen me on something of a seafood odyssey.
Today, we come to my favourite crustacean – crab.
I am definitely not alone in fancying them.
Chilli crab is arguably our national dish.
It’s the most sought-after dish by tourists in Singapore.
The biggest misconception about cooking crab is that it’s difficult.
This isn’t true.
If you want the totally fuss-free option, most supermarkets stock raw crab meat.
It is a great addition to seafood pasta and stir-fried vegetables, and even as a classy salad topping.
The options are endless.
But it’s just not the same as freshly cooked crab. Here are some essential tips:
HOW TO CHOOSE LIVE CRAB
Make sure they are alive. You want them as fresh as possible.
Crab meat goes off very quickly when the crab is dead – food poisoning never goes down well with dinner guests.
Don’t buy them if you see just one or two crabs left in the tank.
This could mean that they have been sitting there for over a week.
They may be only barely alive.
The crabs you pick should be lively and moving around.
When you try picking them up, they should struggle to break free or threaten to attack you with their pincers.
They should also not be foaming at the mouth or smell of ammonia.
Similar to lobsters, crabs shed their shells as they grow.
Give the crabs a gentle poke and pick the ones with a soft shell.
They tend to be more flavoursome, succulent and easier to pull apart.
TELLING A MALE AND FEMALE CRAB APART
Personally, I prefer to eat female crabs.
The roe they hold enhances the flavour of the gravy or stew.
When eaten in a stir-fry, the roe adds richness to the crab meat.
Telling the difference between the genders is easy – males have larger claws.
Alternatively, just flip the crab over and look at its belly.
The male crab has a narrow triangular flap, whereas the female has a broader and rounded flap.
PREPARING CRAB
If you’re cooking at home, you’re going to have to kill the crab.
There are many ways to do this.
Some people put the crab in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Another method is to just pop them straight into a pot of boiling water.
I prefer to turn the crab belly up and pierce it right through the tip of the triangle with a chopstick.
I find that this is the quickest method. But don’t use a disposable chopstick as it won’t be sturdy enough to pierce the crab.
Next, give the crab a good scrub with a brush – a toothbrush can be used – all over under running water.
Then place your thumb into the hole made by the chopstick and pull the carapace or shell off.
Pull out the lungs and the rest of the internal organs.
Run it under some water again before chopping the crab into half or quarters.
Now you’re ready to cook.
VARIETIES OF CRAB:
There are more than 4,400 varieties of crab, but here are the three most commonly eaten ones in Singapore.
BLUE SWIMMER CRAB
Also known as the flower crab, or fa hai in Cantonese.
The last pair of legs on swimmer crabs have flattened parts which act as paddles.
Though they vary in colour from brown to blue and purple, the colour of the shell does not affect the taste.
When cooked, it turns bright orange with specks of white.
Blue swimmer crabs have very fine-textured meat with a delicate, sweet flavour.
I think these taste best in a curry or stew.
The shell adds flavour to the dish, quite similar to how prawn noodle stock is made from the heads and shells of prawns.
MUD CRAB
Mud crabs belong to the same family as the blue swimmer.
The most popular crab in Singapore, it is usually used for the chilli, pepper and salted egg yolk crab dishes.
When caught, these crabs are deep green to almost black in colour.
They turn bright orange when cooked.
This is my favourite crab.
The flesh is firm and meaty with a distinct crab flavour that can withstand a powerful sauce laden with chilli, pepper or other intense spices.
That said, I find the best way to enjoy the sweetness of this crab is to add some sliced ginger, spring onions, a light drizzle of soya sauce and simply steam it.
RED ALASKAN KING CRAB
This is a crab of extremes.
Such crabs are very expensive because they live only in some of the world’s most treacherous waters where waves can reach 6m high – documented in the aptly-named TV series Deadliest Catch.
When caught, these crabs are a dark burgundy colour, but turn fire-engine red when cooked.
The red king crab is said to be the best-tasting crab in the world.
The flesh is extremely chunky and the flavour extremely intense.
It is best enjoyed steamed and served with plenty of melted butter.
Only the male king crab is sold.
The female crabs are returned to sea so that they can continue reproducing.