Crab Chilli Pink Grapefruit Salad Recipes

THAI CHILLI-DRESSED CRAB WITH GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• First prepare the crabs: put a cooked crab on a chopping board on its back. Twist off the legs and claws and set aside. Put your thumbs against the hard shell close to the tail and carefully prise the main body section away from the shell. This can require a little persistence with larger crabs.
• Discard the greyish stomach sac near the mouth. Discard the 'dead men's fingers' - the long white/grey gills - which are inedible.
• Carefully remove all the white and brown meat, keeping them separate: crack the claws with a rolling pin, small hammer or nutcracker and use a skewer to pick out the meat. Check all the crevices in the body for white meat. Be careful to remove all small pieces of shell. Repeat with the other crab(s). Clean the main shells and keep for serving.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chilli, juice of 1½ limes, fish sauce, ginger, most of the coriander, chilli sauce and avocado. Stir in the white meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir the mayonnaise and remaining lime juice into the brown meat and season with black pepper.
• For the salad, combine the rocket, grapefruit and cucumber in a bowl, then pour over the reserved grapefruit juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the 2 mixtures equally among the shells, if you have them, or spoon onto plates. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with the salad.

CHILI CRAB

Steps:

• In a casserole or large pot of boiling salted water, add the crabs and cook them for about 1 minute, or until no longer moving. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• To clean the crabs pull off top shells; pull and twist off each apron; remove gills. With sharp knife cut crabs into quarters, rinse and drain.
• In mortor and pestle or small food processor pound or process chiles, garlic, shallots and ginger with a little oil if necessary.
• Combine all sauce ingredients.
• Heat a wok over moderately high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until hot. Add chili and garlic paste and stir-fry 1 minute. Add crabs and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until shells turn red. Add sauce ingredients, bring to boil and simmer, covered, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer crabs to serving dish.
• Bring sauce in wok to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to wok. Simmer until thickened. Gradually add eggs in a stream, whisking, and cook for 1 minute. Pour sauce over crabs and garnish with scallion.

SINGAPORE CHILLI CRAB

Steps:

• The crab must be prepared before stir-frying (you can ask your fishmonger to do this). This involves removing the claws, the main shell, discarding the dead man's fingers, then cutting the body into four pieces, and cracking the claws and the legs so the sauce can get through to the meat.
• Heat the oil in a large wok and sizzle the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies for 1 min or until fragrant. Add the ketchup, soy and 100ml water, and stir to combine. Throw in the crab, turn up the heat and stir-fry for 3-5 mins or until the crab is piping hot and coated in the sauce. Stir through most of the coriander, spring onions and sliced chilli.
• Use tongs to arrange the crab on a serving dish, pour over the sauce from the pan and scatter over the remaining coriander, spring onions and sliced chilli. Serve with rice or bao buns, and a lot of napkins.