The inspiration was this 1.6 kilo mud crab that we purchased in the Coron town market, along with 3 other slightly smaller mud crabs. It was massive. Mud crabs in this area are caught in the wild, as opposed to being raised in cramped fishponds and fed commercial feeds. The minute we spotted this one, I knew there was going to be crab on the menu for dinner!
After purchasing some sotanghon noodles, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and some brown sugar, it was back to the hotel and a quick request from the kitchen gained us access to the stove for a few minutes to cook up this behemoth. First the crab was cleaned and quartered…
Into a hot qok or kawali add some vegetable oil, saute the chopped ginger, onions and garlic. Add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ground pepper and brown sugar and mix until well-blended. Add the the crabs followed by the noodles a few minutes later and cook until the crabs are just done. More detailed instructions here.
The results were delicious. A bit on the salty side as I normally use Kikkoman soy sauce but the dark silver swan substitute was wickedly salty… But with steamed rice, the flavorful noodles and the sweet meat of the giant crab, this could have been a meal by itself. However, the hotel also served several other dishes for a slightly over the top dinner!
The crab claws were almost as wide as the entire serving bowl, some 6-7 inches or so. Definitely one of the largest crab claws we have ever eaten. Yum.
36 Responses
Yummy CRAB!!!! MM You should start capturing all your cooking stint like this in a video :)
OMG! that’s colossal! we have dungeness crabs here in SF that are huge but have never seen crabs that large in the philippines!
hi Mr. MM! ur zubuchon was being featured this morn’n in unang hirit. look so yummy and very cripy! do u have any plan to branch out here in manila?
Good catch. I just had some alimango last week, 4 medium sized ones. They probably weighed as much as that single crabzilla you’re having!
WOW what a catch! How nice of the hotel to accommodate you in their kitchen! We love crabs and I will surely try your recipe for sotanghon crabs one of these days. Have you tried eating at King Crab House (along P.Guevarra, San Juan)? Their Crispy Salted Crabs and Sotanghon Crabs are bestsellers and we order or dine in for our occasional crab cravings :D
Wow, that’s really big!Alimango is one of my all time favorites,cooked whatever way! Drool!!!
i miss the taste of “wild” crabs and shrimps, not the farmed ones. that crab claw is pinching me! serious crab craving right now!
BTW, was that you MM holding the crab? It must be an illusion from the shadow of the crab but it looks like you have a “TUMMY”????? :) Where’s the Daniel Craig from the previous pic??Ha!ha!ha! Hopefully, that’s not you! and that it’s just really an illusion!
Betchay, of COURSE I have a TUMMY, why else would I publish a picture of myself taken from the back! Hahaha. I am about 20-25 pounds more than I would like. :)
what a humongous looking CRAB! This is one of my favorite way of eating crab!
Looks good reading this post made me hungry
I’m allergic to crustaceans, but those claws look so inviting, that I will take antihistamine just so I can eat them!!!
Yum,I remember making your recipe for crabs with sotanghon a few years ago and it was excellent. This serves as a reminder for me to make it again!
Gaano kaya kalaki ang alige ng alimango na iyan, ha MM? Ka-suntok siguro, huh?
But like Artisan, the allergy figures in this situation…buti na lang at may antihistamine…I’ll console myself with shrimps today.
Yummy!!! the best ka talaga MM! keep the posts coming… this Coron series is really inviting. Debating on including it in our itinerary when we plan to go back to Phils.
hopefully one day you will also start posting videos of your travels/cooking . that would make it even more interesting and exciting!
Will you be kind enough to tell us which hotel are you staying at? The family has plan to explore
Palawan in a few months. Would like to experience everything you shared with us readers.
Nakakalaway. Thank you.
WHOA! and YUM! Noodles, crabs and sticky buns(man tao) is my seafood(and carbs) nirvana.
Also it reminded me of this hilarious Thai Cheers Beer Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K5Md4xakb4
MM, that’s ok at least we now know you are one of us! LOL! It wouldnt be fair if you have a body to die for! Tummy or no tummy,,,,,you’re still the best! Thumbs up!
Darn! I’m staying in Club Paradise, not in Coron Town. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. *:(
what to do if crab is still alive?
Yes, P600 would be just about the price of the crab at Farmer’s market depending on the gender, time of year, etc. A dish with a much smaller crab of about 400-500 grams and glass noodles costs about the same at Gloria Maris but they cook it so well in a way the cook-for-you Dampa people can’t match. Great crab is great as is, but when you can’t find such great crab or can’t eat too much crab fat, the sauce makes a galaxy of difference. And the noodles allow you to mop up everything.
funny, the crab has human “legs”?? in the top photo :D
rocoi, hahaha, just noticed that.
Thanks for sharing this MM! I just tried the recipe today because I just bought a huge batch of alimango “sipits” in our market and got inspired by your post…it’s very simple and delicious! It’s a hit in our lunch today! :-)
MM, have you tried using the thicker korean glass noodles?
hi MM! I haven’t tasted that kind of crab before…but I bet I would need some calcibloc or co-diovan after eating such a large crab hehe
i just saw this feature on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (online)…mud lobsters, “ayuyu” is what they call it in Cagayan, and I think “mangla” in Cebu…in Cagayan they eat it but in Cebu they make it into souvenir items…have you tried it?
Mmmmmm crab with sotanghon….
MM, what kind of crabs do the Chinese restos usually use?
tamale8888, most likely fishpond or farm raised alimango, in smaller sizes. Usually pumped up with feed, not naturally caught in mangroves and the sea… But then again, the Chinese restaurants could also be getting some top quality all natural, provincial sourced crabs if they are really serious about quality…
MM, how much is the crab per kilo in Coron?
Lissa, prices depend on the time of year, and abundance or scarcity of crabs. For the medium and small sized crabs, expect to pay between PHP220-300 per kilo. For the ginormous ones like the one above, expect to pay between PHP300-350 per kilo. These crabs are hardy and can survive a flight to Manila rather nicely…
Have been having difficulty finding authentic sotanghon noodles in the groceries. What brand do you use? Thanks and more power
To Artisan: I used to be badly allergic to crabs (NOTE: I started appreciating seafood – prawns, crabs, etc in my mid 20’s). There was a time, it was urticaria then with crabs it was intestinal allergy (everytime I would have crabs, I’d get the runs). When I learned to appreciate, allergies didn’t stop me from having them. Initially, I would take antihistamines (as my 2 other sisters who get respiratory allergies and urticaria really bad) before eating, gradually weaned myself off antihistamines and built up my resistance to it. Nowadays, I still occasionally get intestinal allergies with some (and I’m trying to determine which one) species of crabs – usually mud crab variety but not consistently so. Go figure….
Enjoy!
Hi Mr. MM, Thanks for sharing this, now i know what to serve my family this Sunday, ALIMANGO! w/ glass noodles. Probably i’ll put shitake mushrooms and carrots for color. Yummy!
I remember how to catch those mud crabs during my elementary days in my province in Balabagon, Moalboal, Cebu. My brother and I used to catch those mud crabs in the Mangroove areas with our bare hands. Sometimes there were mud crabs that actually pinched our fingers but it did not matter to us. Sometimes there were mud crabs that recently shed-off its hard outer covering (we call it LUNO in Cebu). Mud crabs usually make their hole in between mangroove roots and muddy swamps. We can easily spot those holes.
The best recipe to that is to boil it together with pure coconut vinegar with basil leaves, ginger roots and native tomatoes with salt until the soup thickens. Then after that you pour pure coco milk with lemon grass , basil leaves, spring onions and add some MSG.Then you serve it still hot. Its the best recipe of my mom that I still carry until these days.
I miss this food…..wish i can cook it by my self…..tnx for sharing your recipe…Godbless…