If there’s one thing that we love in Singapore, it’s the crab dishes. I mean, the food culture in Singapore is amazing anyway, but the crab dishes really stand out. As with anywhere right by the sea, you get some great seafood here and what with the cosmopolitan history of the place there are some exciting foodie influences knocking around as well.
OK, so there are various crab dishes on offer in Singapore but it really all comes down to two stars: Black Pepper Crab and Chilli Crab. I find it hard to say which is best… yeah, I’m completely torn between the two because they’re both so good. The thing is that they’re two very different ways of preparing crab and they both have their qualities.
Black Pepper Crab is the drier dish of the two. It can sometimes be as simple as just fresh crab and black pepper fried together, though will often include a few extra touches to bring out the flavour of the crab meat. You’ll sometimes come across garlic, ginger and spring onion and maybe find a touch of something for a little freshness such as coriander. Jumbo Seafood Gallery does an excellent version of this dish that they call simply their Signature Black Pepper Crab. It’s a very popular choice there and definitely gets a thumbs-up from us.
Chilli Crab is a much saucier sort of dish. It actually dates back to the 50s and has really cute origins: a husband and wife team sold the dish on a really small scale as a kind of street food. It proved very popular and in fact, those humble origins are still seen today in the way that even in smart restaurants the dish is often eaten using the hands!
It may require a thorough wash after eating but I guess that’s all part of the fun. The succulent, stir-fried crab comes in a beautiful tomato and chilli sauce. It’s rich and tangy and plays off the crab flavour like you wouldn’t believe! Home of Seafood is a top place to go for this one. The Award-Winning Chilli Crab sits alongside some other really exciting crab dishes on the menu, Pumpkin Crab and Signature Salted Egg Crab being just a couple of examples.
If you’re still unfamiliar with these amazing Singaporean crab dishes then I kind of envy you as you’ve got such a treat in store! If on the other hand, you’re already a fan like me then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when I go on and on about how delicious they are. Either way, the thing I’m really excited about and want to leave you with is a recent discovery of mine: you can order these dishes to your door with Deliveroo! Don’t get me wrong, the restaurant experience is great, but sometimes that indulgent thing of just ordering in food and relaxing at home is unbeatable.
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