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How to cook Black pepper crab

Black pepper crab is a Singapore zi char favourite where whole crab is wok-fried in a thick, glossy sauce built on a big hit of coarsely crushed black pepper, butter and garlic. It is peppery, savoury and a little sweet, and best eaten by hand with plain rice or mantou to mop up the sauce.

Ingredients

For the crab

• 2 (about 600-700 g each) live mud crabs
• 3 tbsp cornflour, for dusting
• 500 ml cooking oil, for shallow-frying

For the pepper sauce

• 50 g salted butter
• 1 head (about 40 g) garlic, finely chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 bird's eye chillies, sliced (optional)
• 1 sprig (about 10 leaves) curry leaves
• 3 tbsp (about 20 g) whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml water
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water (slurry)
• 2 stalks spring onion, cut into 3 cm lengths

To serve

• to taste steamed white rice or fried mantou
• 4 wet wipes or finger bowls

Steps

1. Prepare the crabs35 min
   Chill the live crabs in the freezer for 30-40 minutes until sluggish and unresponsive. This is the humane way to dispatch them before cutting. Scrub the shells under running water with a brush.
2. Clean and cut10 min
   Lift off the top shell, discard the spongy grey gills (dead man's fingers) and rinse the body. Chop each crab body into 4 pieces. Crack the claws lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce can seep in. Keep the top shell to fry alongside for presentation.
3. Dust with cornflour3 min
   Pat the crab pieces dry with paper towels, then toss with the 3 tbsp cornflour until lightly coated on all cut surfaces.
4. Crush the pepper3 min
   Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or with a rolling pin in a bag. Keep some pieces chunky, not powdery, for texture and aroma.
5. Shallow-fry the crab10 min
   Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until a wooden chopstick bubbles steadily (about 170°C). Fry the crab pieces and top shell in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes per batch, turning once, until the shells turn bright orange-red. Drain on paper towels. Carefully pour off all but 2 tbsp of oil.
6. Fry the aromatics2 min
   Return the wok to medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt and foam. Add garlic, shallots, ginger, chillies and curry leaves and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until golden and fragrant, without letting the garlic burn.
7. Toast the pepper1 min
   Add the crushed black pepper and fry for 30-40 seconds, stirring constantly, until the aroma is sharp and peppery.
8. Build the sauce2 min
   Pour in the oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, sugar and water. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 1 minute so the sugar dissolves.
9. Return the crab4 min
   Add all the fried crab pieces and the top shell to the wok. Toss well over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until the crab is evenly coated and the flesh is fully cooked through and opaque white.
10. Thicken and finish1 min
    Stir the cornflour slurry, drizzle it in and toss for 30 seconds until the sauce turns thick and glossy and clings to the shells. Toss in the spring onion, then turn off the heat.
11. Serve
    Arrange the crab on a large platter with the top shell on top. Serve immediately with rice or mantou and plenty of wet wipes.

Tips

• Choose crabs that feel heavy for their size; a lively crab with a hard shell has more meat.
• Crush the peppercorns just before cooking, as pre-ground pepper tastes flat and tends to burn.
• Dry the crab thoroughly before dusting with cornflour, otherwise it will clump and splatter in the hot oil.
• If you prefer a drier, more peppery coating rather than a saucy finish, skip the cornflour slurry and reduce the water to 100 ml.
• Use kitchen scissors or a seafood cracker at the table to open the claws easily.

Food safety and allergens

Crab must be cooked from live (or freshly killed and kept very cold); discard any crab that smells strongly of ammonia, and make sure the flesh is opaque and the shells are bright orange-red before serving. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 1 day, reheating until piping hot.

Contains: dairy, shellfish, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

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