Save to Pinterest The first time I truly understood Singapore's food culture was at a hawker stall at midnight, watching a chef's hands move with such practiced grace through a wok of chili crab. The sauce—bright red, glossy, clinging to the shells—caught the light like liquid rubies. I'd grown up eating crab, but never like this, where every element conspired to make you forget about propriety and just dive in, sauce dripping down your wrists, lime wedges squeezed between bites. That night changed how I thought about cooking seafood.
I made this for friends on a humid July evening, and what struck me most wasn't the compliments but the silence—that focused, happy silence of people too absorbed in the food to make conversation. Someone knocked over a glass of wine reaching for another piece of crab. No one cared. By the end, we were all sticky and laughing, and the tablecloth looked like a crime scene, and it was perfect.
Ingredients
- 2 whole live mud crabs (about 1.5 kg total), cleaned and cut into pieces: Use mud crabs if you can find them—their meat is sweeter and more delicate than swimming crabs, and the shells hold the sauce beautifully. Ask your fishmonger to clean and cut them; it saves your hands and your patience.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil: High heat demands a neutral oil that won't smoke or assert itself over the sauce's complex flavors.
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped: The base of your aromatics, sweet and softened, creating the foundation for everything that follows.
- 5 cloves garlic, minced: Don't skip on quantity here—garlic is as important as the chili in this dish, rounding out the heat with savory depth.
- 3 red chilies, deseeded and chopped: These provide fruity heat rather than just mouth-numbing burn; deseeding them lets you control the fire while keeping the flavor.
- 2 birds eye chilies, chopped: These tiny ones are the actual heat seekers; start with one if you prefer gentleness, and adjust from there.
- 2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced: Fresh ginger makes all the difference—it adds a slight brightness that dried ginger simply cannot match.
- 250 ml tomato ketchup: The backbone of your sauce, providing sweetness and tang; don't feel snobbish about ketchup here, it's the right tool.
- 2 tbsp chili sauce such as Sriracha or sambal oelek: Your second heat source, but chosen for depth rather than pure fire; sambal oelek is earthier and more authentic.
- 1 tbsp sugar: Just enough to balance the acidity and spice, not enough to make this dessert.
- 1 tbsp soy sauce: A whisper of umami that ties the whole sauce together.
- 1 tsp fish sauce: The secret that makes people ask what's in your sauce; a tiny bit transforms everything into something you can't quite place but desperately want more of.
- 250 ml chicken or seafood stock: Use seafood stock if you can; it knows where it's going.
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water: Creates the silky, glossy finish that makes the sauce cling to every piece of crab instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten: Swirled in at the very end, these create delicate ribbons that catch the sauce and add richness.
- 2 spring onions, sliced: A fresh, bright garnish that cuts through the richness with a hint of onion sharpness.
- Fresh cilantro, chopped: Not optional if you want authenticity; it adds an herbaceous note that haunts you in the best way.
- Lime wedges, to serve: Essential for squeezing over everything, brightening the sauce and your palate between bites.
Instructions
- Build your aromatics:
- Heat the oil in a large wok or deep pan over medium heat until it shimmers slightly. Add the onion and let it soften for about 2 minutes—you're not caramelizing it, just taking the sharp edge off. Now add the garlic, ginger, and both types of chilies, and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until the whole kitchen smells like a Singapore night market. Your wok should sound busy and smell alive.
- Introduce the crabs:
- Add the crab pieces to the wok and toss them through the aromatics until they're well coated and the shells are starting to turn red, about 3–4 minutes. This isn't just cooking; you're building flavor into every crevice of the crab.
- Make the sauce:
- Pour in the ketchup, chili sauce, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and stock, stirring well so everything dissolves together into one cohesive, glossy sauce. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently uncovered for 10–12 minutes, turning the crab pieces occasionally so they cook evenly and absorb all those flavors.
- Thicken and enrich:
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry—the sauce should thicken visibly, becoming glossy and coating everything with a luxurious sheen. Now comes the elegant part: drizzle in the beaten eggs slowly while stirring gently, creating those delicate ribbons that trap the sauce.
- Finish and serve:
- Remove from heat, scatter the spring onions and cilantro over the top, and get it to the table immediately. Serve with lime wedges and steamed buns or rice, and have plenty of napkins within arm's reach.
Save to Pinterest There's a moment near the end of cooking when the sauce has thickened and the eggs are creating those perfect ribbons, and the kitchen fills with a smell so good it almost feels unfair. That's when you know you're close to something special, something that tastes like patience and care.
The Sauce Is Everything
This dish lives or dies by its sauce, which is why the order matters so much. The tomato ketchup and chili sauce go in before the stock—they need to meet the heat and meld with the oil and aromatics before you add liquid, so they're not just floating there but truly incorporated into the base. The cornstarch slurry at the end is what separates a loose, forgettable sauce from one that clings to the crab and refuses to let go. Some people skip it thinking it feels too heavy, but it's actually what gives the sauce its silky, luxurious mouth-feel instead of a greasy slick.
Timing and Temperature
The hardest part of this recipe is resisting the urge to blast everything at high heat from start to finish. Medium heat during the aromatics stage might feel slow, but it's letting the garlic and ginger release their oils gently, not burn sharply. Once the crab is in and the sauce is simmering, a gentle bubble is all you need—vigorous boiling will cook the meat unevenly and won't actually make the sauce taste better, it'll just make it evaporate faster. Everything that needs to happen here happens in about 25 minutes if you have the right rhythm.
Crab Selection and Substitutions
Mud crabs are ideal because their meat is sweet and firm enough to stand up to vigorous cooking without becoming stringy, but if they're impossible to find in your area, blue swimmer crabs work beautifully too—they're slightly more delicate, so watch them toward the end so they don't overcook. Dungeness crab is richer and more buttery; it's a different experience but still deeply satisfying. Whatever you choose, ask your fishmonger to clean and cut the crabs for you unless you genuinely enjoy wrestling with a crab in your kitchen at midnight.
- Live crabs are preferable to frozen because they cook faster and taste cleaner, but properly thawed frozen crabs are acceptable if that's what's available.
- The yield of 4 servings assumes people are also eating rice or buns—if this is the only thing on the table, plan for 2–3 servings because it's rich and deeply satisfying.
- Save any shells left in the pan after eating; they make extraordinary stock for seafood soups later in the week.
Save to Pinterest This is the kind of dish that reminds you why you cook in the first place—not for health points or efficiency, but for the pure messy joy of feeding people something that makes them forget to be careful. Make it when you want the kitchen to smell alive.
Recipe FAQs
- → What type of crab works best for this dish?
Live mud crabs are preferred for their flavor and texture, but blue swimmer or Dungeness crabs make good alternatives.
- → How can I adjust the heat level in the sauce?
Modify the amount of birds eye chilies or red chilies according to your spice preference.
- → What is the purpose of adding beaten eggs to the sauce?
Slowly stirring in beaten eggs creates silky ribbons that enrich and thicken the sauce.
- → Which side dishes complement this spicy crab preparation?
Steamed mantou buns or plain rice help balance the bold, spicy textures of the crab.
- → Can this dish be prepared ahead of time?
It is best served fresh to enjoy the vibrant flavors and texture; reheating may reduce the sauce's quality.