The Hirshon Singapore Black Pepper Crab — Singapore Black Pepper Crab Image Used Under Creative Commons License From gourmettraveller.com.au

Citizens, I was enthralled with this dish when I was introduced to it during my first trip to Singapore, even preferring it to the famed Chili Crab, to be honest (even though Chili Crab is the more renowned recipe).

Thought to have been created in the 1950s at the Long Beach Seafood restaurant, black pepper crab has since become a staple of Singapore’s street food stalls and is one of the country’s most iconic dishes. The crab is fried first and then smothered in a thick, rich oyster sauce spiced liberally with plenty of peppercorns, garlic, chilies and ginger.

Try my recreated version and be equally swayed – it can also be made with chicken or cubed fish if you want an alternative recipe (but my favorite version outside of crab is with prawns). Very Shiok (delicious) and very much a personal favorite enjoyed here in my secret underground lair as I plot world domination for the 8000-member strong TFD NATION! 🙂

Note: If at all possible, try using Penzey’s Special Extra Bold Indian Black Peppercorns. The berries are left on the vine to ripen even longer than top-tier Tellicherry peppercorns and are plucked when they begin to turn pink.

As a result, the flavor is more complex and unusually robust, with a surprisingly mellow burn. (In industry terms, “special” means best flavor and “extra bold” refers to extra-large size; only 10 pounds out of each ton make the grade.)

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Singapore Black Pepper Crab

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Total Time: 0 hours

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Instructions

Have your fishmonger kill and clean the crabs, cut them into quarters and crack the claws.
In a large wok, preferably cast iron, heat the oil over a high flame until very hot, but not smoking. Stir-fry the crab pieces in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes each, until they turn bright red. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium high and add the butter to the wok, with the existing oil. As soon as it begins to sizzle, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir-fry briefly. Then return the crab to the wok and stirfry for 4 to 5 minutes more. Make sure that the crab is well-coated with the peppercorn mixture.
Remove from the wok, garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve at once with ice cold beer, some buns or bread to soak up that delicious sauce and a very large stack of napkins, you’ll need them!

Prep Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 0 hours
Category: Recipes