Australian Mud Crabs Re-visited
While visiting Darwin in 2016, I made a dish called Darwin Chili Mud Crab, using locally sourced crabs. Mud Crabs (called ‘muddies’ by locals) are found in the estuaries and mangroves of the Northern Territory and are known for the tasty meat found in their huge claws. Darwin Chili Mud Crab (a spin-off of Singapore Chili Mud Crab) is a tomato and chili-based recipe. While ‘dissecting’ a huge crab may be intimidating for some people, it’s well worth the effort to reach that succulent crab meat.
After my short visit to Darwin, I thought I would never see the ‘elusive’ fresh Mud Crab again. So I was delighted when I saw a large array of live mud crabs for sale at my local fish shop in Canberra. This time I decided to make Singapore Pepper Crab, one of the two most popular crab dishes found in Singapore today. This dish features white or black pepper, onions, ginger, and garlic, and is nicely balanced out with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce and chicken stock. If you’re not a fan of real spicy food, you can reduce the amount of pepper or add some cream to the sauce.
Darwin Mud Crab
To prepare the Mud Crab:
To prepare the Mud Crab (or Dungeness crab), first remove the claws and legs from the body, using a twisting motion.
Next, place your thumb underneath the point of the abdominal flap to remove the top of the shell. Remove the gills and intestinal ‘goo’.
Open up the top shell to remove the gills and intestinal ‘goo’
Using a cleaver, chop the body section in half (or into quarters). Crack the claws partially through in several places to make it easier to eat later on.
Making the Pepper Sauce
Place the roughly chopped garlic, ginger, and onion in a food processor and ‘whiz’ for one minute until finely chopped. Over medium-high heat, add oil to the wok, then add the remaining ingredients: ginger/onion mixture, butter, powdered white pepper, chicken stock, fish stock, Shaoxing wine, and kecap manis. Let cook for at least ten minutes.
Finely chop garlic, ginger, and onion in food processor 
Add all ingredients to wok and let simmer
Add crab pieces to wok and toss to coat the sauce. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and let cook under medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until claw meat is thoroughly cooked. Add the chopped spring onion pieces and toss.
Final Plating
Plate the crab pieces and top with the Pepper Sauce. Garnish with a few coriander leaves and a few more spring onion slices.
Prepare the Mud Crab: separate the body, claws, and legs. Use your thumb to lift the abdominal flap to expose the body cavity. Remove all of the gills and gooey parts, then cut the body part into four sections using a cleaver. Crack the two claws part-way through- this helps to hasten the cooking of the claw meat and makes it easier to eat. Roughly chop the garlic cloves, ginger, and onion and whiz in a food processor for 30 seconds until all ingredients are finely chopped. Ove medium heat, dry roast the white pepper in a wok for about one minute or until fragrant, then remove. Add the oil to the wok, then fry the onion-ginger-garlic mixture for about 3 minutes util soft. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chicken stock, white pepper, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, kecap manis, sugar, and ground coriander. Let the mixture cook for at least 10 minutes until all flavors are infused. Add the crab pieces and toss to coat. Place a lid over the wok or piece of aluminum foil and cook for about 12 minute until the crab claw meat is cooked through. (You can remove the four smaller body sections after 6 minutes to ensure they do not over-cook). To serve, place the crab pieces on a serving plate. Add the spring onion pieces to the sauce in the wok and stir through. Pour the sauce over the crab pieces and sprinkle a few fresh coriander pieces on top for garnishSingapore Pepper Crab
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8 Comments
Angie@Angie's Recipes
February 4, 2023 at 5:38 amI miss pepper crab so much. Can’t find some quality seafood with reasonable price over here. Your Singapore pepper crab looks authentic and so very yummy, Fran!
Fran Flint
February 4, 2023 at 1:18 pmAngie, I know what you mean- my mud crab cost a small fortune but it was worth it!
Chef Mimi
February 5, 2023 at 3:22 pmThis looks so good! I’ve actually had mud crabs, somewhere along the Great Barrier Reef. One exploded on my silk shirt. Lesson learned there!
Fran Flint
February 6, 2023 at 12:08 pmOh no! Exploded on your shirt? Hope you were able to at least taste some crab!
David @ Spiced
February 6, 2023 at 4:39 amWow, those crabs are no joke – they’re huge! We don’t see mud crabs around here, but I see that Dungeness is a replacement option. This sounds like a delicious way to mix up fresh crab. We often do the classic steamed blue crab thing around here (my wife LOVES those), but I like the idea of this sauce. Also, I’m quite impressed with your travels – San Diego to Paris to Australia!? Looking forward to following along!!
David Scott Allen
February 6, 2023 at 7:57 amI have never seen a mud crab, and Dungeness crabs aren’t available here, either (live crabs in general). But this looks truly amazing.
Raymund
February 13, 2023 at 2:29 pmWow, what a delicious looking recipe! The Darwin Chili Mud Crab and Singapore Pepper Crab both sound so full of flavor, I can’t wait to try them! I love how you source the local mud crabs and put a unique spin on a classic dish. The detailed instructions and use of a food processor make it seem like an easy recipe to follow. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
lisa lawless (@lisaiscooking)
March 10, 2023 at 9:07 amThis looks delicious! I wish I could find crabs like this here, but I’d love to try it with another type of crab.