Rick’s salt and pepper crab recipe

This recipe comes from Rick’s new series, Rick Stein’s Australia. Find out more here.

Ingredients for Rick’s salt and pepper crab recipe

SERVES 4 – 6

• 1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying
• 2 x 400 g cooked blue swimmer crabs (or brown crabs uk)
• 200g cornflour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
• 5 cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 spring onions cut into 2cm lengths
• 3 long red chillies (Cayenne), thinly sliced diagonally

Salt and pepper seasoning

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1/4 tsp msg
• 1/2 tsp white sugar

Blanched bok choy with oyster sauce

• 2 bunches bok choy, halved lengthways and washed well
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil

How to make Rick’s salt and pepper crab recipe

1. Put 1litre vegetable oil in a 24cm heavy based pan and heat to 180C.
2. Put a large pan of water onto boil for the bok choy.
3. Put the salt and pepper ingredients in a mortar and crush using a pestle or use a spice grinder.      
4. Meanwhile, to prepare the blue swimmer crab (or brown crab) you’ll need to remove the top shell, stick your thumb under the shell, pull it up and off or prize it off with a knife. Discard.
5. Remove the gills, (they look like feathers) and the stomach (a small sac just behind the eyes) you can then cut each crab into four sections and crack the claws for easier access to the meat.
6. Put the cornflour in a large shallow bowl and thoroughly coat the pieces of crab in cornflour, pressing in well.
7. Deep fry the crab in the hot oil, in batches for 2-3 mins or until crisp.
8. Put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a hot wok and stir fry the shallots, garlic and ginger, spring onions and chillies with the salt and pepper seasoning until just beginning to colour. Add the fried crab and toss well. Transfer to a large serving platter.
9. Blanch the bok choy in the pan of boiling water for 2-3 mins or until almost tender. Remove to paper towel then transfer to a large serving platter and drizzle with oyster sauce, soy and sesame oil.

Happy cooking