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Singaporean

Singapore chilli crab

Non-vegetarian

Whole crabs stir-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet-savoury tomato and chilli sauce thickened with ribbons of egg, mopped up with fried buns.

Singapore chilli crab is a Singaporean main course, ready in about 50 minutes and made with crab meat, fresh red chilli and tomato ketchup. It serves 4 and is rated advanced to cook.

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Chilli crab
Representative photo. megawatts86 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
20 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Advanced
Calories
344

Ingredients

4 servings

For the paste

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, shallots (opens in a new tab), chillies and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) to a coarse paste. Mix the ketchup (opens in a new tab), chilli sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), vinegar, salt and water.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large wok (opens in a new tab) and fry the paste over medium heat until fragrant and the oil turns red.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the crab (opens in a new tab) pieces and toss to coat, then pour in the sauce mixture, cover and simmer, turning the pieces, until the shells are bright red and the meat is opaque.

    • 10 min
    • medium-high heat

    Food safety: Cook crab until the shells are fully red and the meat opaque and firm.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the cornflour (opens in a new tab) slurry to thicken, then drizzle in the beaten eggs (opens in a new tab) and stir gently so they set in silky ribbons.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Scatter with spring onion (opens in a new tab) and coriander and serve straight away with bread or golden mantou buns for mopping up the sauce.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Singapore · Commonly attributedWidely regarded as a Singapore creation from the mid-20th century.Also popular in MalaysiaMore food from Singapore
Dish
Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Stir-fried, Simmered
Taste
sweet & spicy, savoury, tangy, rich
Diet
Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Crab meat · Fresh red chilli · Tomato ketchup · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Shallot
Techniques
Stir-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom crab meat, shrimp paste
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom crusty bread / baguette
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom crusty bread / baguette
  • May contain: Sesamefrom crusty bread / baguette
  • May contain: Mustardfrom tomato ketchup
  • May contain: Celeryfrom tomato ketchup

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

344 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 341 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 37%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy344 kcal101 kcal
Protein25.7 g7.5 g
Carbohydrate29.4 g8.6 g
Net carbohydrate27.5 g8.1 g
Sugars——
Added sugars——
Fibre1.9 g0.6 g
Fat14.1 g4.1 g
Saturated fat1.8 g0.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol181 mg53 mg
Sodium1647 mg482 mg
Salt equivalent4.1 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
740 mg
Calcium
160 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
65 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
75 µg
Vitamin C
27 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
10.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
83 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves, crusty bread / baguette.
  • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
  • Rice vinegar: Distilled vinegar (FDC 172237) used as a stand-in for unseasoned rice vinegar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Ask the fishmonger to dispatch and clean the crabs for you.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the eggs over high heat makes them scramble into lumps.

Serve with

  • Serve with fried mantou, plenty of napkins and finger bowls.

Food safety

  • Use crabs that are live or freshly killed; dead crabs spoil quickly.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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