Recipe: Singaporean white pepper crab

My papa-in-law loves crab, so for an early Father’s Day, the hubs and I made white pepper crab for my in-laws. It was perfect timing because I needed to create a Singaporean-style recipe anyway for the blog, following my recent posts on Singapore.While white pepper crab falls behind chile crab and black pepper crab in terms of popularity, I found its flavor to be quite nice—not too overbearing in the heat department, a little sweet and salty, a bit of umami. And living near the Gulf of Mexico, I had to go with blue crabs for this dish. Blue crabs are not expensive in these parts of the nation, and yet their meat, albeit scant, is the sweetest. Many complain the crabs yield too little meat for all the effort, but I promise you, blue crab is the tastiest.Crab in the shell is not one of those dishes you reserve for fancy dinners. You will be tearing up those things with tooth and nail, and it will get all over your face and clothes and even hair. But for a gathering with friends and family, I love the interaction required—it forces you to use your hands and, thus, sense of touch.Every Asian culture has their own version of crab. Which is your favorite way to eat the crustacean?

Recipe: White Pepper Crab

Notes: Serve with sweet, soft bread to scoop the sauce.

Ingredients

1. 2.5 lbs whole crabs (e.g. Blue, Dungeness), cleaned & chopped
2. oil for frying
3. 1/4 onion, diced
4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
5. 2 tbsp white peppercorns, crushed, or ground white pepper
6. 3 tbsp oyster sauce
7. 2 tbsp soy sauce
8. 1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
9. 1.5 tbsp poultry bouillon or 2 c poultry stock
10. 1 tbsp cornstarch
11. 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander for garnish

Instructions

1. Par-cook crab: Steam crab for 15m; drain. In a wok or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil and deep-fry crab for 1m. Transfer to paper-lined wire rack.
2. Make sauce: In a wok over medium heat, heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, and pepper until fragrant. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, bouillon, and 2 c water (if using poultry stock, omit the water); bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1m. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and enough water to make slurry; stir in slurry and simmer until thickened.
3. Toss crabs with sauce: Add crabs and stir-fry until coated and heated through.
4. Garnish with coriander.

Active time: 1h
Total time: 1h 15m
Yields: 2 to 3 servings