Black Pepper Crab

Name: Black Pepper Crab
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Malaysia
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons dried prawns; 1½-2 kg (3-4 lbs) fresh crabs; ¼ cup (60 ml) oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 shallots, minced; 7 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon fermented soybean paste (tau cheo), mashed; 3½ tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked or coarsely ground; ½ cup (20 g) curry leaves; 10 red or green chili padi (bird’s-eye chillies), whole; 10 red or green chili padi (bird’s-eye chillies), whole; 10 red or green chili padi (bird’s-eye chillies), whole; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 tablespoons black soy sauce; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; ¼ cup (60 ml) water

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
55 min

Appears in

The Food of Malaysia

By Wendy Hutton

Published 2022

About

This is a truly original Malaysian dish—begin with fresh crabs and seasonings, spice it up with black pepper and curry leaves, enrich with butter and finally, toss in some chili padi for a knock-out result.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dried prawns
1½-2 kg (3-4 lbs) fresh crabs

Asia
Malaysia
Fish course
Pescatarian

Method

Rinse and drain the dried prawns. Then dry roast them in a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes. Allow to cool, then grind coarsely in a mortar or blender.
To prepare the crabs, lift the triangular-shaped “apron” on the underside of the crab. Insert your thumb between the body and topshell at the rear of the crab and pull the topshell off. Discard the grey gills on either s