You know when we talk about crab dishes in Singapore, there's this one that's just legendary - the Black Pepper Crab! It all started back in 1946 with Long Beach Seafood restaurant. They were the cool cats, serving up delicious seafood, and the British Army was all over it during the colonial times. Locals also loved it, and they'd flock there for special occasions.
Crab Cakes just outta the oven...
The chefs at Long Beach Seafood were true food wizards, always mixing in those awesome Asian flavors that made their dishes stand out. And in '82, they dropped the bomb - the Black Pepper Crab! Picture this: they stir-fry the crab with a wicked blend of black pepper, garlic, shallots, and oyster sauce, making it a flavor explosion that hits you in all the right places.
It didn't take long for this crab sensation to go global, and now it's a legit Singapore food icon. Oh, and don't forget there's also this White Pepper Crab version! So, I thought, why not give this classic a fun twist? I whipped up some crab cakes and hooked them up with a rich black pepper crab sauce made from scratch.
But that's not all - I also made a killer sandwich with fried mantou, crab cakes, and that luscious sauce. And hey, to make the whole thing even cooler, I teamed up with KRA Sanctuary and their super artsy plates and bowls.
Come on, let's dig into this mind-blowing recipe and experience the magic of Black Pepper Crab, with my own little twist thrown in!
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Simple Stock:
Water, 1L
Miso Paste, 1 TBSP
Black Pepper Crab Sauce:
Unsalted Butter, 2 TBSP + 30g
Curry Leaves, A Handful
Red Onion Finely Minced, 1
Garlic Finely Minced, 3 Cloves
Black Pepper, 2 TBSP
Fresh Red Chilies Deseeded Finely Sliced, 2 Adjust to Preference
Hoisin Sauce, 1/2 TBSP
Oyster Sauce, 1.5 TBSP
Soy Sauce, 1.5 TBSP
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 30g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Pure Honey, 1 TBSP Adjust to Preference
Crab Cakes:
Fried Mantou Homemade, 1 + More For Serving
High Quality Crab Meat, 500g
Scallions Thinly Sliced, 1 TBSP
Kewpie Mayo, 1.5 TBSP
Sambal Homemade, 1/2 TBSP Adjust to Preference
Egg, 1
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Equipment:
Blender / Food Processor / Stick Blender
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Oven
Sauce Pot
Pastry Rings
Directions:
Please visit my “How To Make Mantou / Bao / Turnover Bao" page for the recipe.
Please visit my “How To Make Sambal” page for the recipe.
Prepare the simple stock.
In a sauce pot over medium heat, add water and miso paste.
Stir to dissolve the miso paste.
I like to add in all the vegetable scraps.
Bring it up to a simmer.
Continue cooking for 5 to 8 mins.
Remove from heat, cover and steep for 10 mins.
After 10 mins, drain and discard the residue.
Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the black pepper crab sauce.
In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 TBSP of butter.
As soon as the butter starts to melt, add in curry leaves.
Sauce until aromatic.
Followed by the onion. Season with salt.
Saute until translucent.
Add in garlic and saute until aromatic.
Add in black pepper and chili.
Saute until the mixture is well combined.
Add a splash of that simple stock and deglaze.
Add in hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Stir to combine well.
Remove from heat and set aside.
In a sauce pot over medium heat, add 30g of butter and flour.
Whisk to combine.
Continue whisking until the mixture is brownish, for about 8 to 10 mins.
Add 180g of that simple stock and whisk until well combined.
Followed by the black pepper mixture.
Taste and adjust for seasonings with salt, pepper, mushroom powder and honey.
Give it a final stir to combine well.
If you find that the sauce is too thick, add just a splash of that simple stock to loosen it up.
You can pour this sauce into a blender and blitz, but I find that a stick blender does an easier job. Invest in 1.
Blitz until smooth.
Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the crab cakes.
Preheat oven to broil.
Blitz the fried mantou until crumbs form.
Transfer the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl along with 1.5 TBSP of that mantou crumbs.
Mix until well combined.
Transfer into a pastry ring over a baking tray lined with parchment paper, making 4 crab cakes. There are 3 of us, so I stretched the cakes to 6 pieces.
Broil in the oven for 5 to 7 mins.
Remove from the oven, flip and continue broiling for another 5 to 7 mins or until lightly browned.
To serve.
Spoon the sauce onto serving bowls.
Sprinkle some fresh lime zest over the top.
Serve immediately with the crab cakes and some fried mantou.
*You can make a sandwich by slicing the fried mantou in halves lengthwise with some of that sauce and the crab cakes.*
This or chili crab?
Heavenly...