Crabs have been one of my favorite. A friend invited me over for lunch and as soon as we learned that crabs will be served, we took the opportunity to learn how she prepares them.
Alavar Sauce can be bought from Zamboanga.
First things first, how to kill a crab. One can be brutal, by putting live crabs in hot couldron or cutting it half while alive or one can be a little bit humane with freezing them:
1. Wash crabs in running water.
2. Place live crabs in a big pan, put ice then add water just enough to cover half of it.
3. The ice cold water puts them to sleep after 20-30 minutes.
Ingredients:
6 kgs jumbo crabs
3 white onions
3 garlic bulbs finely chopped
Tub of Alavar Sauce
Salt
Oil
4. On high heat, heat pan, put in the crabs, sprinkle with salt and cover to steam. The crabs will produce its own fluids, if there's none, add a little bit of water.
5. Cover the pan to steam.
Halfway, cut and remove the straw tied to its claws/body.
6. Continue cooking until orange.
7. Remove from fire, then clean with water, remove the abdomen, carapace (top shell), gills, and other undesired parts and then chop. See this link http://www.chow.com/recipes/30377-basic-steamed-blue-crabs for step by step instruction how to clean it.
8. Heat the same pan with a little oil, saute chopped onions.
9. When it is half done, add in and saute the chopped garlic.
10. Add in the chopped crabs.
11. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
12. Pour in a tub of alavar sauce for a wet saucy mixture (like the cooked crab below). If you prefer to have it just slightly coated, half a cup of alavar sauce to one jumbo crab will do.
I bumped into this facebook account that sells them in Cebu but haven't bought from them:
www.facebook.com/alavarsaucecebu
Contact number: 09772154208 for P250 for half a kilo or P400 for a kilo.
13. Mix together.
14. Remove from fire and transfer to a serving plate.
Wow that was easy. Now i'm hungry again. 😋
