Reprinted with the express permission ofTuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

This dish is time-consuming but the result is worth it. I find that some crabs don’t have much meat, so I buy an extra crab or two to make sure the crabs I serve are nicely stuffed.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 1 hour

5 lbs (2.25 kg) fresh crabs (about 10 small fresh crabs or 5 medium ones)

8 cups (2 liters) water

11/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife and minced

1 small onion, minced

1 small tomato, diced

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon breadcrumbs

Sweet and Spicy Sauce (page 21) or banana ketchup

Wash the crabs thoroughly under running water. Bring the water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a saucepan. Submerge the crabs and boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Take the crabs out and set aside.

To remove the crabmeat, break the crab legs and claws off with your fingers. Place the crab with their underside facing up on a cutting board. Use a small knife to pry up the end of the crab’s “apron” (this is a small tab) and pull it off. Pry the hard shell off the body (you can use your hands to do this or a small knife inserted at the rear of the crab where the apron has been removed). With a small knife, scrape off the gills—a grayish white matter—and discard. Break the body in two to make it easier to remove the meat (you can do this with your hands or with kitchen shears). If the legs and/or claws look meaty, use kitchen shears to cut them in half and remove the meat. Discard the body cavity and legs after removing the meat. Set the crabmeat aside. Clean and reserve the outer shell of 8 of the small crabs or 4 or the medium-size crabs. Discard the remaining shells.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato and potato and sauté for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the crabmeat, soy sauce, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Fill each crab shell with the mixture, pressing lightly with a spoon. Brush egg over the mixture. Lightly drizzle the cornstarch mixture over the filling (use the back of a spoon to spread it around). Then sprinkle and lightly press the breadcrumbs on top of the cornstarch.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil to a skillet over medium heat. Place the shells stuffing-side down and fry for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Alternatively, bake in a preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes stuffing side up. Serve with steamed rice and banana ketchup or Sweet and Spicy Sauce (page 21).