Salt and Pepper Red Crab (Cua Rang Muoi)

⏱ 30 mins 🍽 4 serving(s) 🏷 Crab

This Vietnamese salt and pepper crab dish, known as Cua Rang Muoi, features crab pieces coated in potato starch and deep-fried until crisp. They are then tossed in a wok with a classic seasoning blend of salt, white pepper, sugar, and five-spice, along with aromatic shallots, garlic, spring onions, and chilli. The result is a flavourful and textural seafood main, best enjoyed with jasmine rice. Preparation includes humanely stunning the crab before cleaning and portioning it for cooking.

Salt and Pepper Red Crab (Cua Rang Muoi)

Ingredients

  • 800 g crabs (live or raw)
  • vegetable oil (for deep frying)
  • potato starch (for dusting)
  • 3 red shallots (finely diced)
  • 2 garlic cloves (finely diced)
  • 3 spring onions (scallions cut into 5cm lengths)
  • 2 chilies (red long thinly sliced diagonally)
  • jasmine rice (to serve)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white pepper (fine)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Method

  1. Mix the salt, white pepper, sugar, and five-spice powder together in a bowl to create the seasoning.
  2. Stun the crabs humanely by placing them in a freezer for 1 hour or in an ice bath for 5 minutes.
  3. Take off the top shell of each crab and discard the gills, which resemble small fingers.
  4. Rinse the crab thoroughly under running water and allow it to drain.
  5. Position the crab on its stomach and use a heavy cleaver to cut it in half.
  6. Chop each half into four pieces, cutting after each leg segment. For smaller crabs, cut each half into two pieces instead.
  7. Lightly tap each claw with the back of the cleaver to crack the shell for easier eating.
  8. Pour oil into a wok and heat it to 200C (400F). It is ready when a bread cube browns in 5 seconds.
  9. Coat the crab pieces in potato starch, ensuring any extra is shaken off.
  10. Fry the crab in batches for 3 minutes, turning once, until it turns a golden brown colour.
  11. Take the crab out of the wok and let it drain on kitchen paper.
  12. Pour out the oil from the wok, keeping 2 tablespoons aside, then wipe the wok clean.
  13. Warm the reserved oil in the wok and fry the diced shallots and garlic until they become aromatic.
  14. Put the fried crab back into the wok with the spring onion and chilli slices, then add the prepared seasoning to your taste.
  15. Serve the crab alongside jasmine rice, providing finger bowls for your guests.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium2333800 mg

Recipe details

CategoryCrab
AuthorI'mPat