Chilli mud crab with green mango, coconut and herb salad

Ingredients

• 2 whole live mud crabs
• 1 young coconut
• Drizzle of vegetable oil
• 1 long red red chili, thinly sliced
• ½  red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into julienne
• ½  bunch coriander roots
• 30 g palm sugar, shaved
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 10 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic shoots

Salad

• 1 green mango, peeled and cut into julienne
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced
• 6 sugar snap peas
• 1 Nashi pear, thinly sliced
• 6 lychees, peeled, seeded and halved
• ½ bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
• ½  bunch Vietnamese mint, leaves picked
• ½ bunch coriander, sprigs picked

Dressing

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime, juice
• 5 g palm sugar

Skill Level

Medium

Method

Pull the top shells off the crabs, then remove and discard the gills. Using a cleaver or large sharp knife, cut the crab into large pieces. 

Using a cleaver, hold the coconut over a bowl, then crack open and reserve the coconut water. Run a metal spoon between the shell and the flesh of half the coconut. Reserve the remaining coconut half for another use.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chilli, onion, ginger, coriander root, tomatoes, palm sugar lime leaves, tamarind and sweet soy sauce. Stir to combine well, then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Add the crab, toss to coat well, then simmer for another 7 minutes or until just cooked through. Lastly, stir through 60 ml (¼ cup) reserved coconut water and the garlic shoots, then remove from the heat.

Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the reserved coconut flesh and add to the bowl. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl, pour over the salad and gently toss through. Serve with the chilli mud crab.