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.