Ingredients

4 blue swimmer crabs or 1 mud crab
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 golden shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 long red chillies, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, tender inner stem, finely chopped
2cm piece ginger, finely grated
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg
Spring onion, thinly sliced, to garnish

Instructions

The extra step of grilling the crab on the barbecue allows the crab to take on smoky, roasty flavours. The sauce is sweet, rich from the tomato paste and has the perfect warmth from the chillies. Creating layers of flavours that will keep you licking your fingers and leave you wanting more.

Prepare the barbecue for direct cooking over high heat (250°C-290°C). Preheat the barbecue with a Weber casserole dish (without the lid).
While the barbecue is preheating, Clean and quarter the crab(s). Save the crab tomalley if desired. Crack the claws slightly to allow even cooking and for the flavours to reach the meat. View our grill skill on how to clean and quarter a crab.
Once the casserole dish has preheated, add the peanut oil, shallots, garlic, red chillies, lemongrass and ginger to the dish. Cook over direct high heat, with the lid closed, for 5 minutes or until the shallots and garlic have turned translucent, stirring occasionally.
Add the sweet chilli sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken stock and soy sauce to the casserole dish. Simmer for 5 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, add the crab pieces to the cooking grill, around the casserole dish over direct heat, and cook for 5 minutes, turning once or twice until the shells have just turned orange.
Add the crab to the casserole dish and toss the crab gently through the sauce to coat it. Cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes or until the crab has fully cooked through.
Remove the crab from the casserole dish and place onto a plate. Add the crab tomalley to the casserole dish (if desired), stir and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the barbecue, add the egg to the dish and whisk through (use a plastic or silicone whisk so you don’t damage your casserole dish). Taste the sauce and adjust to your personal taste.