Mangrove Crab

Ingredients

Crab

• 2live mangrove crabs (chesemel), about 800 g each, chilled 20 min in the freezer to sedate them
• 2 litresseawater, or water with 2 tbsp sea salt

Coconut sauce

• 500 mlthick coconut cream
• 40 gfresh ginger, julienned
• 1onion, sliced
• 3garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tbspcoconut oil
• 1 tspsalt
• 1red chilli, sliced (optional)
• 2spring onions, cut in lengths

To serve

• 2limes, halved
• steamed rice or boiled taro
• a bowl of the crab fat scraped from the shell, warmed

Directions

1. Chill the crabs in the freezer for 20 minutes so they are torpid and can be handled safely and humanely.
2. For the steamed version, bring a finger’s depth of seawater to a hard boil in a large pot with a rack, lay the crabs in belly up, cover and steam 15–18 minutes for an 800 g crab, until the shells are bright orange and a leg pulls free easily.
3. For the coconut version, split each crab: lift the top shell off, scrape out and reserve the orange fat and roe, discard the feathery gills, then quarter the body and crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a wide pot and cook the onion, ginger and garlic over medium heat 5 minutes until soft and fragrant.
5. Add the crab pieces and turn them in the aromatics over high heat for 3 minutes until the shells begin to redden.
6. Pour in the coconut cream with the reserved crab fat, add the salt and chilli, and bring to the gentlest simmer. Coconut cream must never boil hard or it splits.
7. Cover and cook 12–15 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the meat is opaque white and comes away from the shell cleanly.
8. Add the spring onion, take off the heat and rest 5 minutes so the sauce thickens and the crab absorbs it.
9. Serve in a wide bowl with the sauce poured over, lime halves for squeezing, rice or taro alongside, and finger bowls – this is eaten entirely with hands, cracking as you go.

Technique

• Mangrove crab (Scylla serrata) is Palau’s most prized catch and is sold live. A crab that feels heavy for its size and whose underside is hard and clean has the most meat; a light, soft-shelled crab has recently moulted and will be watery.
• The orange fat under the top shell is the best of the animal in Palauan eyes and is scraped out and stirred back into the sauce or eaten separately on rice. Never throw it away.
• Female crabs with roe are seasonal and protected at certain times of year – check local rules, and in Palau there are closed seasons for crab specifically to protect the mangrove stock.

Substitutions

• No mangrove crab? Any large hard-shelled swimming crab – Dungeness, brown crab or blue swimmer – takes the same treatment; adjust the time to the size.
• Fresh coconut cream can be replaced by two tins of full-fat coconut milk with the thin liquid poured off.

Variations

• Steamed in seawater and eaten with nothing but lime – the way most Palauan families cook the best crabs.
• Cooked with taro leaves into demok, using the leg meat.
• Grilled over coconut husks after a brief steam, giving a smoky shell and firmer meat.

History

Pohnpei’s mangrove crabs grow unusually large in the island’s wide mangrove belt and are the standard gift and feast seafood.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mangrove Crab?

Mangrove Crab is a main from Micronesia: pohnpei’s famously fat crabs steamed or simmered in coconut milk. Pohnpei’s mangrove crabs grow unusually large in the island’s wide mangrove belt and are the standard gift and feast seafood.

How long does Mangrove Crab take to make?

Mangrove Crab takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mangrove Crab?

Yes, within limits. No mangrove crab? Any large hard-shelled swimming crab – Dungeness, brown crab or blue swimmer – takes the same treatment; adjust the time to the size. Fresh coconut cream can be replaced by two tins of full-fat coconut milk with the thin liquid poured off.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mangrove Crab?

Pour in the coconut cream with the reserved crab fat, add the salt and chilli, and bring to the gentlest simmer. Coconut cream must never boil hard or it splits.