Chili Crab

It's been a while, but here's another food entry. Many's the time when i crave of having fresh seafood over here, so i make do by going to the Asian shops here to get a taste of home. The frozen crustaceans that's sold are quite good actually, and you'd be pleasantly surprised with the blue swimmer crabs they offer here . My mom used to prepare this by just boiling them with a little amount of water and adding salt. When cooked just right, the meat taste just divine. I do them in two different versions, one with spicy coconut sauce, then here's the chili version: for a pack of those crabs (about 1 kilo, frozen, the shell, apron and gills removed, and the body cut in half, the claws still attached) i prepare a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, a teaspoonful of dried chilies (you can also use the fresh one, slice thinly), 5 cloves of finely chopped garlic, chopped spring onions separating the green tips, about 2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce), 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons 0f Sriracha hot chili sauce (also available in Asian shops). Here's how i do it: i remove the crabs from box and thaw them, then wash in cold water and put aside. I then heat some peanut oil in a heated large wok then sauté the dried chili, ginger, garlic and spring onions, then add a small amount of water, the patis, sugar, juice, vinegar and chili sauce, then i stir till the sauce thickens. That's when i add the crabs, cook covered for about 15 minutes, (crab changes color by then) i then add the green onion tips (coriander leaves are also optional but the hubby is not a big fan of them). But he loves seafood, his favorites are prawns and shrimps, but this one is growing on him. At the beginning i had to show him how to remove the meat, also placing old newspapers on the table then hammering the claws, but he loves it especially with the chili sauce and some steamed rice on the side. Sometimes when you eat something good you have to earn it, even if the table looks a mess afterwards... ;)