Ingredients
Crab
- 2live mud crabs, about 1 kg each
To boil
- seawater, or heavily salted water
Coconut version
- 600 mlthick coconut cream
- 2onions, sliced
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 1thumb ginger, in matchsticks
- 2hot chillies, sliced
- 3 tbspoil
- juice of 1 lime
- salt
To serve
- kaukau, boiled sweet potato
- boiled taro
- cooked greens
- lime wedges
Equipment
- a heavy cleaver
- a crab cracker or a hammer
- a freezer
Directions
- Put the crab in the freezer for thirty to forty-five minutes first. The cold makes it dormant and it stops responding. Lay the chilled crab on its back on a board. Lift the apron and pull it away.
- Bring a large pot of seawater or heavily salted water to a rolling boil. The water should taste distinctly of the sea. Boil it for about twelve minutes per kilogram. Take it out and let it stand for five minutes. Overcooking makes the meat dry and stringy.
- Twist the claws and legs off at the body. Crack the claws with a cracker or the back of a cleaver. Lift the top shell off the body. Remove and discard the feathery gills, which are not eaten. Cut the body in half and pick the meat from the chambers. Cut the body into quarters with a heavy cleaver.
- Crack the claws so the sauce can get inside. Heat the oil in a wide pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook them for six minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies. Cook them for two minutes until fragrant.
- Add the crab pieces and turn them in the aromatics. Pour in the thick coconut cream. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Coconut cream splits into oil and curds if it boils.
- Cover the pot and simmer it for fifteen minutes. Turn the pieces once halfway through. Judging when it is done is straightforward.
- Squeeze the lime juice over and season it with salt. Serving it is done communally and messily. Turn the crab and the sauce into a wide bowl. Serve boiled sweet potato and taro alongside.
Technique
- Chill the crab in the freezer for thirty to forty-five minutes before dispatching it.
- A light crab has recently moulted and its meat will be watery.
- Never let the coconut cream boil, since it splits into oil and curds.
Substitutions
- Any large live crab in place of mud crab.
- Heavily salted water in place of seawater.
Variations
- Boiled plainly and served with lime.
- Cooked in coconut cream, as for a feast.
- Cooked in a mumu earth oven with taro and greens.
History
Caught in the mangroves of the Gulf and Papuan coast, it is one of Papua New Guinea’s few seafood exports and a coastal feast food.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mud Crab?
Mud Crab is a main from Papua New Guinea: mangrove crab boiled or cooked in coconut cream, sold live at roadside markets. Caught in the mangroves of the Gulf and Papuan coast, it is one of Papua New Guinea’s few seafood exports and a coastal feast food.
How long does Mud Crab take to make?
Mud Crab takes 30 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Mud Crab?
Yes, within limits. Any large live crab in place of mud crab. Heavily salted water in place of seawater.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mud Crab?
Add the crab pieces and turn them in the aromatics. Pour in the thick coconut cream. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Coconut cream splits into oil and curds if it boils.
