I came up with this version of Singapore chilli crab while I was holidaying in Port Douglas, in Far North Queensland. We’d met a couple at the apartments we were staying in, and Glen and I chartered a boat to go flshing. It cost us $120 each for the services of a guide who was more interested in making sure his missus dropped off a change of clothes for him so he could spend the night at the pub that evening!
One mud crab, a reef shark and three hours later, we returned triumphantly with the most expensive shark steaks and mud crab you could imagine. Bearing this in mind, along with the fact that it was Glen’s birthday, I thought I’d give the crab the royal treatment. What really helped this recipe was the local sambal I bought at the markets. To replace it you could buy a commercial chilli sauce, but sambal is nice and salty so try to source some from a good Asian food store.