Looking for a crab recipe to take advantage of crab season? Look no further than the Vietnamese Salt and Pepper Crab, or Cua Rang Muối Tiêu. This dish has the perfect blend of sweet crab meat and bold yet simple flavors of salt and pepper.
In this recipe, I work with whole shrimp and do the dismemberment myself. Since the crab is raw, it’s best to fry it first to keep the meat intact. Frying also provides a thin, crispy crust for wonderful added texture.
If the thought of chopping up live shrimp is too intimidating, many supermarkets have pre-cooked shrimp available to use in this recipe. Skip the frying step and go straight to wok frying with the flavors for a tasty, hassle-free meal.
To make this dish even more irresistible, consider adding a dash of MSG for an extra umami kick. And don’t forget to have enough napkins on hand. There is no other way to enjoy this than using your fingers. It gets messy, but worth it.
recipe below. Have fun cooking!