Cua Rang Me (Tamarind Crab)

Sweet, fresh, and tangy. Perfect for a family-style dish: just pile all the crab up in a big serving platter and let everyone help themselves. Crabs are in season right now; blue, dungeness, stone, and king crabs are the most common sustainable varieties. Skip king crab; it has been overfished and is suffering from habitat destruction. Serves 4.

3 whole crabs
1 organic shallot
4 cloves of organic garlic
1 small chunk of ginger
1 bunch of Thai basil
2 kaffir lime leaves or a few mint leaves
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon of tamarind paste
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
3 organic limes
1/4 cup water

Buy crabs that feel heavy for their size, and ask to have them cleaned and to have the main pair of claws removed and lightly cracked for you.

Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Toss the crab with the garlic, salt, pepper, lime or mint leaves, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and tamarind paste.

Let this marinate for 15 minutes. In the meantime, chop the basil so you have at least a quarter of a cup of chopped fresh leaves. Juice one lime. Chop the shallots too and saute in a big wok (or your widest and deepest pot or pan) until softened and fragrant. Add in the crab, stirring often.

Cook for a few minutes, until any liquid has evaporated, and then add in the chili garlic sauce, half a cup of water, and a tablespoon or two of basil leaves. Cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes, just until the crab meat is opaque white, stirring frequently. Uncover it and stir in the rest of the basil, along with the lime juice.

Let cook for another minute or so. Taste and adjust the seasoning so you have a balance of salt, sour, and sweet. Serve in a big bowl, accompanied by small bowls of lime juice, pepper, and salt either plain or mixed with chili powder, in which you can dip the crab chunks.

photo credit: Charles Haynes