Wright Bros Recipes
Black Pepper Crab
Serves: 2
Preparation: 30 mins
Cooking time 1 hour 30 mins
For the Crab
1 x 800g–1kg whole, live, cock crabn- order here
1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the Sauce
250g salted butter
200g shallots, finely chopped
50g garlic, finely chopped
50g ginger, finely chopped
100ml Japanese soy sauce
80ml mirin
30g black pepper, freshly cracked
sugar, to taste
For the Garnish
almond slivers, toasted
curry leaves, deep fried
natural yoghurt
To prepare the crab, first despatch it humanely. Next, turn upside down and cut in half,
removing the legs and dead man’s fingers. Cut the crab into segments, cracking the
larger pieces with the back of your knife and set aside.
To make the sauce, melt half the butter in a pan and add in the shallots, garlic and
ginger. Cook on a low heat. When soft, add the soy sauce and mirin. When the mixture
is reduced by half, add the black pepper and the rest of the butter. Season with a little
sugar and set aside.
Heat a saucepan and add the vegetable oil. When smoking, add the crab pieces and a
small amount of sauce to start the cooking process. Once evaporated, stir the crab well
and add the rest of the sauce. Cook for 8–10 minutes.
To serve, arrange the plate as pictured and spoon over the remaining sauce. Garnish
with toasted almonds, deep fried curry leaves and fresh natural yoghurt.
Notes: Live, sustainable English cock/male crabs, with their high white meat content, are recommended for this dish. They are in season from April to November, should feel heavy for their size and not have liquid moving around inside. To despatch them humanely it is recommended they be quickly placed in a large freezer, at -18°C, for at least 2 hours before intended use.