Crab meat with its naturally sweet flavor and thick, slightly chewy texture easily attracts anyone’s affection. Today, TasteVN wants to share with you 3 delicious and extremely appealing grilled crab recipes, perfect for becoming a grilled dish at family gatherings. Let’s go to the kitchen!
1. Grilled Freshwater Crab
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Freshwater Crab Serves 2
Freshwater crab 1 kg Salt 1 tablespoon Seasoning powder 1 tablespoon Chili 6 pieces Cooking oil a little
How to choose fresh river crabs
- Fresh river crabs have a dull gray color, the body of the crab is covered with algae, moss, and mud, and the shell is shiny and bright, moving flexibly. In contrast, farmed crabs usually move less and have a slightly shiny shell.
- River crabs have yellow crab roe, with smaller claws, while farmed crabs often have blue-black roe and larger claws.
- Tap the body of the crab with your hand; if it feels firm, it is fresh river crab. Farmed crabs will have a hollow sound, the meat is mushy, and they have a slightly salty and bitter taste when eaten.
- Choose crabs that are intact, with full claws. If the crab’s abdomen is small, it is a male and will have more meat. While females have a larger abdomen and will have more roe.
Tools needed
How to prepare Grilled river crab
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Prepare the river crab
Wash the river crabs thoroughly to remove all algae and mud sticking to their bodies. Use your hands to separate the crab shell.
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Marinating crab
Add 1 tablespoon of coarse salt, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, and 6 small chili peppers into a mortar, and pound the mixture until smooth.
Mix the salt and chili mixture evenly with the cleaned freshwater crabs, allowing the seasoning to penetrate each crab thoroughly.
Tip:
- Depending on your family’s taste, you can adjust the amount of seasoning as desired.
- You should marinate the freshwater crabs for about 15 – 20 minutes to help the crab meat absorb the seasoning more deeply.
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Grilling crab
Ignite the charcoal fire, while you arrange the crabs evenly on the grill, place them over the charcoal fire and start grilling until the crabs are golden brown and the meat is fully cooked.
Grill until the surface of the crab tightens, use a brush to evenly apply a layer of cooking oil on the surface, flip the crabs and continue grilling.
Tip: Occasionally brush on an additional layer of cooking oil to help the crabs cook quickly and remain crispy without drying out.
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Final Product
Each river crab is crispy and golden brown, visually appealing and fragrant. When eating, you will experience a salty and spicy taste that blends together, creating a unique flavor. Dipping it in chili salt with lime makes it even better.
2. Grilled Sea Crab
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Sea Crab For 3 people
Sea crab 3 pieces Bird’s eye chili 6 pieces Lime 1/2 piece Coarse salt 1 tablespoon
Raw Ingredients Image
How to Prepare Grilled Sea Crab
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Prepare the Sea Crab
When buying sea crabs, use a brush to gently scrub them to clean off mud, dirt, and algae stuck to the body. Then, use the tip of scissors to stab firmly into the crab’s belly until it dies, and its claws straighten out.
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Grill the crab
Prepare the charcoal grill, place the crab on the coals, grill until the crab starts to turn golden red, then flip the crab and continue grilling for about 10 – 15 minutes.
When the crab is fragrant and golden on both sides, it can be taken out and prepared for enjoyment.
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Make chili salt
Pound 1 tablespoon of coarse salt, 6 bird’s eye chili peppers, and mix well. Squeeze in 1/2 lime and mix evenly with the chili salt mixture.
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Finished product
The crab is grilled to a golden brown, extremely fragrant and attractive. The crab meat is firm, chewy with a naturally sweet taste, dipped in the salty, sour, and slightly spicy chili salt sauce, delicious.
3. Grilled crab with garlic butter
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Sea Crab with Garlic Butter For 1 person
Sea crab 1 piece Garlic 1 tablespoon ( minced) Chili powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Vegetable butter 1/2 teaspoon
Ingredient image
Tools needed
Glass oven (or convection oven), scissors, knife, aluminum foil, spoon,…
How to make Grilled Sea Crab with Garlic Butter
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Prepare the sea crab
When buying sea crab, use the tip of scissors to poke into the crab’s belly, wait until the crab stops moving completely, then remove the scissors.
Scrub off all the algae sticking to the body, rinse and let it drain. Use your hands to separate the crab shell, set aside for processing.
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Marinating the crab
Place the crab on a layer of aluminum foil, marinate the crab with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of margarine, cover the crab shell over the body of the crab, and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.
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Grilling the crab
Place the crab in the oven set at 150 degrees Celsius, grill for about 15 minutes.
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Final product
The crab is evenly grilled in aluminum foil, helping it retain its sweet water, with a delicious crab flavor faintly scented with garlic, a bit of spiciness, and a hint of richness from the margarine. Eat the crab while it’s still hot to fully enjoy its authentic taste!
How to choose fresh and delicious sea crabs
- You should choose crabs that are still alive, moving quickly, with bright eyes, and their bodies intact, with all legs and claws.
- Pay attention to observe the silky skin between the joints on the crab’s claws; if they are pink-red or dark pink, then the crab will have a lot of meat. The smoother the skin here, the better; the more meat the crab will have.
- Use your hand to squeeze the crab’s abdomen; if it is hard and firm, then it is a good crab; conversely, if the abdomen and shell are soft, the meat will not be good.
- You should buy crabs during the water season, on the first days of the month, at the end of the month, or on moonless nights for better quality crab meat. The mid-month period is when crabs shed their shells, resulting in less meat and lower quality.
- It is advisable to buy crabs from reputable places, fresh seafood stores to ensure quality.
How to properly prepare sea crabs
- After buying, keep the tying strings intact, use a sharp knife or scissors to pierce directly into the crab’s abdomen until the crab’s legs stretch out.
- Remove all tying strings, use a toothbrush to gently scrub off all mud, dirt, and algae stuck on the crab’s body and claws, then rinse with water.
- Use your hands to separate the crab shell, removing the lungs and fine hairs.
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With just a few very simple steps, you can easily make 3 delicious grilled crab recipes for your family to enjoy. Wishing you success in your cooking!
*Refer to images and recipes from YouTube channels: ATRung Food, Life in the Countryside, Ann Lang Thang
