Thursday, September 4, 2008

Fried Crablets



I know, I know, I have always been a proponent of healthy food. Our family food motto actually is "Life is too short to eat bad food." And guiltily, what I am showing you today something that is not actually healthy!!! Full of cholesterol! Arrrgh! Please stop my conscience from throwing darts at me!!!

How can I resist these cute crablets? I purposefully added my chubby finger in the picture so you will have an idea on how small these baby crabs are. Around 1 inch body width, plus a little more for the legs. Actually, they were cute little lumps when they were not yet cooked, but not photogenic, so I omitted the picture :).

These crablets are usually offered in restaurants around Manila, but I never found them in the markets. So, I have never cooked them myself. Imagine my surprise when I found them in the Suki Market in Quezon City. A friend referred me to this market when I was lamenting the lack of native chickens, Chinese vegetables and live seafood in our area. (These are easily available in downtown Manila's Chinatown where the traffic congestion is pretty famous.) Maybe this market can be a subject for Gay's To Market to Market event. But that is another story... :)

So, I brought them home and cooked them just the way the restaurants cook them - fried, as appetizers, dipped in our favorite organic coconut vinegar with chilli (siling labuyo/chilli padi). I console myself with the thought that I am using organic vinegar anyway. So, this dish is partly healthy, right? Crispy, salty, flavored with spicy and sourish vinegar - YUM!


1/2 Kilo crablets
garlic salt and freshly ground pepper
sprinkling of flour
cooking oil


1. Wash the crablets well. I removed the outer shell, as they will be tough to chew, and remove the inedible organs. Drip thorougly in a colander and later dry with kitchen towels.

2. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a little flour.

3. In a pan, heat up the oil. When hot, fry up the crablets, one batch at a time. It cooks very fast, it will not take long. Immediately dish up and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

4. Serve with vinegar/chilli dip on the side.

20 comments:

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Ooh, baby crabs are so good. I can't remember how my mom cooked them but they were great with just plain white rice.

Anonymous said...

Wow!! The baby crabs look so cute! I think they are so delicious, I am already drooling all over my keyboards. LOL!

Chibog in Chief said...

these are part of the food i really miss eating!! sarap!

tigerfish said...

Crablets...sounds easier to handle than big ones!

Soli Deo Gloria said...

WC, it will be great to learn another way to cook these baby crabs. We know only of frying them so we can eat them crispy, shells and all..

Galatians, the crablets are tasty by themselves, with the vinegar, this dish can wet any appetite. :)

Dhanggit, ya, I'm making you envious... ha ha ha, joke lang ha. I dont think you have time miss the local dishes. You have lots more interesting ingredients there that we don't have here. Your berries lang e, I'm so envious of their availability there.

Tigerfish, these babies are definitely easier to clean, easier to cook, and easier to eat. :)

Anonymous said...

Ooh talangka. Sometimes I get a jar of the row/fat by itself, have rice and call it a meal.

Unknown said...

hey, this is a perfect appetizer... :) BTW, I finally posted the tag thing... told you I procrastinate...LOL...
thanks for being so patient... :)

http://myfinds-mikky.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-tagged.html

Lori Lynn said...

Those look so good! Guilty? Only if you eat 2 dozen!

I wish I could find crablets around here!

Unknown said...

ooops... btw, correct me if i'm wrong... but i read in your comment somewhere, was it at Dhanggit's, that you're making a mint tea... you might want to re-check this post about Gold Leaf Mint Tea... it was really good... you can infuse more mint herbs with it... just a thought... :)

http://myfinds-mikky.blogspot.com/2008/08/wofex-2008part-4.html

Unknown said...

Ning... that's what I do to...LOL... sleep after checking on the kids... :)

Anonymous said...

Sounds yummy! Haven't eaten crabs in ages.

Paz

TS of eatingclub vancouver said...

They;re so cute!

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Jude, you're sill young? so you can indulge in taba ng talangka? I would love fried rice with crab fat. But I dont think our arteries can take it. :)

Mikky, we have a lot of things in common! he he! Thanks for the tip about the mint tea. I recently bought several varieties of mint and I couldn't wait to use them! Actually, I found a recipe for a dish using mint. Will be cooking and posting about it soon. :)

Lori Lynn, crablets are not common here, too. At least in the markets I go to. :)

Chef Paz! Hello! Seafoods are a real treat!

TS, they're cute and more importantly, tasty! :)

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

Baby crabs! Baby crabs! They're so cute and yummy!

Anonymous said...

crablets, crablets... how adorable :P At first I thought they are soft shell crabs ... hee I like all kinds of crabs

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Hello JS! Thanks for dropping by!

NoobCook, they're kind of soft-shelled, too, since you can eat everything, legs and all.

Oggi said...

Are these talangka? Oh how I wish I can find them here, I really miss them. Taba na lang which I recently cooked adobo style with prawns.

generic viagra said...

Fried Crablets are delicious, but they are easy to prepare. Once I tried to make them by myself, but it didn't work out. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation.

xlpharmacy said...

Looks so delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe, I love crabs, they are my favorite sea food.

Unknown said...

Hi. I'm wondering where can I get those baby crablets. Thank you

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